ZIMBABWE Independent (ZimInd) editor Faith Zaba's bail ruling has been postponed to today after magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe indicated that he cannot type the judgment as there was no electricity at the Harare Magistrates Courts yesterday.
Chikwekwe was expected to grant Zaba bail after the State submitted that it had no compelling reasons to deny her freedom.
Zaba was arrested on Tuesday over a satirical article that appeared in the weekly.
She is being charged with “undermining or insulting” President Emmerson Mnangagwa in a satirical column published under the pseudonym “Muckraker” last Friday.
She spent Tuesday night in custody after presenting herself to the police in the company of her lawyer Chris Mhike. Zaba first appeared in court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody at Chikurubi Female Remand Prison.
At the hearing, the State did not oppose bail, with the prosecutor Takudzwa Jambawo citing medical records presented by the defence.
“We have no compelling reasons to warrant the State to oppose bail and we propose conditions that this court may consider and when the court is inclined,” Jambawo said.
Following the withdrawal, defence lawyer Chris Mhike applied for bail with conditions.
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“‘We have no objections to the proposed conditions. She undertakes not to interfere with investigations. She is not a member of ZRP. Not the daughter of police officers, [and] does not employ any members of the ZRP and has no capacity to interfere with the ZRP,” he submitted.
“She owns valuable immovable and movable property acquired in over 30 years as a journalist. She is an award-winning journalist well respected in Zimbabwean media, commercial, human rights and philanthropic circles.
“Her philanthropy is rooted in business and not questionable sources. She is a dependable citizen who can be trusted with her freedom.”
Mhike also cited poor health.
“It is regrettable that the police couldn’t allow her to go home after the warned and cautioned statement. But the fact that she walked in shows her commendable character,” he said.
“Citizens who honour and respect authorities ought to be spared from the harsh realities of prison.”
The State did not make submissions, with Jambawo only saying they had no compelling reason to oppose bail.
Zaba is the second senior journalist from Alpha Media Holdings, the publishers of the Zimbabwe Independent, in recent times to attract the ire of the authorities, after HStv head of news, Blessed Mhlanga, who spent 72 days in pre-trial detention before he was released on May 6 on US$500 bail.
The arrest of the two journalists has attracted widespread condemnation.
