A Plumtree-based police officer who allegedly incited his colleagues to defy an order to thwart the planned July 31 protests has been granted $500 bail by Plumtree magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda.
Levias Ngwenya (36), stationed at Plumtree police camp, pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing disaffection among the police force and the defence forces.
Ngwenya, who is being represented by Bruce Masamvu of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), was also instructed not to access social media accounts, not to interfere with state witnesses and to reside at the given address until the finalisation of trial.
He will be back in court on August 28 for the commencement of trial.
Prosecutor Dorothy Kanengoni told the court that on July 8, 2020, at 3 AM and again on August 9, Ngwenya posted on his Facebook timeline inciting members of the State security not to adhere to government orders. Said Kanengoni:
Ngwenya posted that ‘soldiers and police don’t be fooled and brainwashed nekamari kapihwa kasinga tengi chinhu. Don’t be used by Zanu-PF government to attack your brothers and sisters in the health and teaching sectors.
The reason why mapihwa nicodemusly is for you to descend heavily on the impoverished civilians who are scheduled to stage a demonstration on July 31.
It’s a divide and rule tactic. Wake up and smell the coffee guys. Pasi nekushandiswa nemadhara asina future nesu aya.