Story by Peter Chivhima
CITIZENS Coalition for Change spokesperson Fadzai Mahere has been sentenced to a three-month jail term with the option of paying a fine of US$500 after being convicted of communicating falsehoods.
Mahere’s charges emanated from her tweets in which she claimed that the Police had beaten a child to death using a baton stick.
In sentencing, Harare Regional Magistrate Mr Taurai Manuwere considered that she is a first offender.
In her trial, Mahere tried to exonerate herself submitting that her tweet came after she saw a video of a motionless child with the crowd claiming that police had killed the infant.
The court however found Mahere guilty after dismissing her claims as reckless and unreasonable.
The court also ruled that Mahere’s claims were contrary to the facts that the child was injured by shattered window glasses and treated at a local hospital before being discharged on the same day.
It was also argued that as an advocate with many years of experience in the legal fraternity, Mahere was supposed to verify facts before posting on Twitter.
The court also ruled that Mahere’s utterances that violence is in the DNA of ZRP soiled and undermined the good name of the police force.
Mahere was facing two charges of communicating falsehoods and inciting public violence.
She was, however, acquitted of the other charge of inciting public violence.
