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Jabulani Sibanda

Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
Former war veterans’ leader Jabulani Sibanda, who is accused of insulting President Mugabe, has been given a longer remand period pending determination of his application at the Constitutional Court.

On his initial appearance, Sibanda — through his lawyer Mr Sobusa Gula-Ndebele — successfully applied to have the case referred to the Constitutional Court after raising constitutional grounds.

Mr Gula-Ndebele insisted that the charge was ultra-vires Sibanda’s constitutional right to freedom of thought, opinion, religion and belief among others.

Sibanda yesterday appeared before magistrate Mr Milton Serima for his routine remand.

He was, however, given a longer remand period to May 29 after the State, led by Miss Sharon Mashavira, told the court that they were still waiting for the outcome of his application at the Constitutional Court.

Sibanda successfully made an application for relaxation of his bail conditions particularly reporting conditions from reporting once a week to reporting once a fortnight.

Sibanda is being accused of contravening section 33 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

It is alleged that on October 27 last year at Herbert Mine in Mutasa — Sibanda addressed an illegal gathering of war veterans at a mine shaft.

The gathering was for the reburial of exhumed liberation war fighters’ bodies, despite the reburial being rescheduled to a later date by the Minister of Home Affairs Cde Kembo Mohadi.

Sibanda allegedly delivered a lengthy speech and said President Mugabe and his wife were plotting a “bedroom coup” to remove Vice President Joice Mujuru and replace her with First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe.

He said she was not prepared for that and that power was “not sexually transmitted”.