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Snr Asst Comm Charamba

Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
The trial of a 38-year-old policeman who allegedly insulted chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba by labelling her an “idiot” has commenced with the latter describing how the message emotionally offended her. James Mabasa an assistant inspector who is based at Police General Headquarters (PGHQ), allegedly made the remarks on a WhatsApp platform sometime in May this year.

The message read: “The police used to hold meetings with magistrates and other law enforcement stakeholders to map a way forward, reducing lawlessness, but now it’s the other way round, the public have meetings with lawyers on ways to disregard police.

“The public relations office is headed by an idiot, who doesn’t know that she has to encourage the public to be compliant to the police.” Through his lawyer, Mr Arshiel Mugiya, Mabasa denied the allegations when the trial opened before magistrate Ms Josephine Sande saying he was not the one who authored the said message. The accused is not the one who sent the message which is alleged to be offensive. He will tell this court that he does not know who sent the message and is equally baffled why the State alleges that it was sent from his cellphone. He will deny ever obstructing the course of justice. His cellphone was already damaged and no point in time was his cellphone ever confiscated as an exhibit hence he never interfered with investigations,” read part of the defence outline. In her testimony while being led by prosecutor Mr Oscar Madhume, Snr Asst Comm Charamba maintained that the offensive message was directed at her as the head of Press and Public Relations department.She also said that she was the only female leader in that department hence by saying “she” in the message, Mabasa referred to her.

“To my understanding, the word idiot means a person of low thinking, a moron or an irresponsible person of which, I do not regard myself as such. The Commissioner-General cannot appoint an idiot to lead such a department. I was hurt and offended by being labelled an idiot,” she said. She said as a policeman, Mabasa ought to have known that sending such a message was a crime. Mr Mugiya said in the message, Snr Asst Comm Charamba’s name was not mentioned and that there were several PR departments at various police stations.

He said it was likely that the author of the message referred to one of the people heading one of the departments. The trial continues on October 30. The court heard that after the denigrating message was circulated, investigations were carried out and revealed that the phone belonged to Mabasa, leading to his arrest. It is the State’s case that Mabasa was searched and the mobile phone he used to send the denigrating message was found in his possession and the message was also discovered in the phone. It is alleged he tried to destroy his phone by smashing it on the floor in an effort to get rid of the message.