Nqobizwe Thebe
A 34-year-old man from Gowo Village, under Chief Makoni in Inyati, was released from prison yesterday after being charged with undermining the authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The release follows a decision by the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPA) to halt further prosecution.
Alfred Ngonidzaishe Machakaire, a resident of Makoni District in Manicaland Province, had been in detention for 36 days, initially spending time in police cells before being transferred to Rusape Prison. He was arrested on February 24 by officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
According to a statement from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) posted on X, prosecutors decided to discontinue the case after Machakaire had already spent more than a month in custody.
The charges stemmed from a verbal altercation between Machakaire and Leonard Chidemo, a ZANU PF Councillor for Ward 5 in Makoni North constituency. The confrontation occurred at Mugadza Bottle Store in Runyange Business Centre, Chendambuya, where Machakaire allegedly asked Chidemo to buy him a beer. When Chidemo responded that he did not have money to buy the drink, Machakaire reportedly became upset and began shouting at the councillor.
Prosecutors claim that during the altercation, Machakaire uttered the following words: “You Chidemo, down with Mnangagwa, I am Geza, on the 31st, the country will be fine, Mnangagwa is a vagina, you have caused the death of people in the country.” The statement further claims that Machakaire’s remarks were an insult to the President, as well as a form of praise for Geza, a former ZANU PF central committee member and liberation war veteran who was expelled from the party after opposing constitutional amendments aimed at extending President Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond two terms.
After spending over a month in detention, Machakaire was released on April 1, 2025, following the NPA’s decision not to pursue the charges. His release comes after a similar decision by the NPA regarding Ishmael Maukazuva, a councillor from Chikomba West, who had been detained on charges of insulting or undermining the President.
