Mpofu was scheduled to appear at the Plumtree Magistrates’ Court facing ‘hate speech’ charges brought against him by ZANU PF activists, but the court postponed the case to May 28th.
Mpofu’s lawyer, Nontokozo Dube-Tachiona, said the trial could not proceed because the magistrate, who was recently assigned to the Plumtree courts, will only officially begin hearing cases Monday.
This was the second time the case could not be heard in one week, following an April 23rd postponement on the same grounds.
Mpofu was arrested in November last year, accused of calling ZANU PF supporters thieves and murderers during a speech at Sindile Napa’s funeral wake in Thekwane, in Matebeleland South, on October 20th.
His accusers claimed that Mpofu (a member of the MDC-T and contestant in the party’s primaries) distributed party regalia, chanted MDC-T slogans, and denounced the country’s secret service at the funeral.
The main complainant, Walter Moyo, however withdrew the charges in November, but Mpofu was shocked to be summoned to appear in court on April 23th, after the charges were re-instated.
The state claims Mpofu’s utterances contravened the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, and constituted ‘disorderly conduct in a public place’.
The former legislator, who is denying the charges, said his funeral speech was taken out of context, and that his opponents latched on to incidents he was using as examples to craft charges against him.
Mpofu told SW Radio Africa: “At the funeral I simply outlined some outstanding things that Sindile had done: including his fight for democracy, bravery and his intelligence.
“I mentioned his displeasure at the manner in which people in Matebeleland tend to be push-overs, sometimes being forced to do things they are not happy about.
“I gave an example of the bullying of Dingumuzi teachers where central intelligence operatives forced the school authorities to sing the national anthem in front of pupils in a bid to humiliate them,” Mpofu explained.
The former MP said he suspects that the accusations are part of ZANU PF’s machinations to cow political opponents in the region.
He explained that the case was revived to coincide with another case in which he was challenging President Robert Mugabe to call for by-elections in three constituencies that fell vacant when he and two others were fired from the Welshman Ncube-led MDC.
Mpofu, Njabuliso Mguni and Abednigo Bhebhe, former MPs for Bulilima, Lupane and Nkayi, are engaged in a Supreme Court tussle over by-elections which Mugabe argues will be a waste of resources given the time left before harmonised elections are held.
According to Mpofu, the postponements were simply aimed at frustrating his preparations for the MDC-T’s primary elections, which are expected to commence May 3rd.
“This is all about persecution and trying to push ZANU PF’s agenda using the court system,” Mpofu said. – SW Radio Africa
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