Faith Zaba to spend second night in custody after bail delay
* Editor held for satire calling Zimbabwe ‘mafia state’
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Journalist Faith Zaba will spend a second night in custody Wednesday after the state postponed her bail hearing to July 3, despite concerns over her health.
Zaba, editor of The Zimbabwe Independent, was detained July 1 on allegations of undermining or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa over a satirical column published under the pseudonym “The Muckraker.” The piece mocked Zimbabwe’s leadership during its rotating chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), calling it a “trade union of dictators” and describing Zimbabwe as “a mafia state.”
“She is not feeling well. She was on bed rest and away from work just before her arrest. She made a sacrifice to go to the police station, having heard that the police were keen to interview her,” her lawyer, Chris Mhike, told reporters outside court. “It is unfortunate that she was then detained even after freely handing herself to the police.”
Mhike said the state was still finalizing pre-court processes before addressing the bail application. “We made the submission before entering into court at the vetting stage that the state should seriously consider the aspect of bail, whether or not they consent, bearing in mind the current poor health,” he said.
“These allegations arise out of a satirical piece that was published in a recent Zimbabwe Independent edition. The state alleges that that satire was deemed by the powers that be to be offensive or insulting to the person of the president,” Mhike said.
Zaba was arrested July 1 and has since been held at Chikurubi Female Remand Prison. The court is expected to hear her bail application on Thursday.
“In the end, it is up to the court whether or not bail should be granted, and we hope that the court will rule in our favor and rule in favor of the release of Faith on bail,” Mhike added.
