TellZim Reporter
MASVINGO – A self-proclaimed businessman Gabriel Mupasiri is being charged with disorderly conduct after he manhandled a journalist at a local hotel recently over a story published sometime in 2012.
Mupasiri grabbed TellZim editor Passmore Kuzipa by the collar threatening to beat him up over an issue he was unwilling to disclose.
Kuzipa immediately reported the case at Masvingo Central Police station and the case was filed under CR30/01/22.
Mupasiri is expected to appear in court on January 13, 2022 for disorderly conduct.
On the fateful day (January 10), three journalists and a number of local business people were watching an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match between Zimbabwe and Senegal at a local hotel.
During the dying minutes of the game, Mupasiri came and approached the journalists before rhetorically asking who Kuzipa was among the three.
He then commanded Kuzipa to come where he was standing but before Kuzipa responded one of the journalists intervened and told Mupasisri not to disturb because they were watching a soccer match.
Mupasiri then jumped and grabbed Kuzipa by his collar. He was restrained by other journalists and revellers who then forced him out of the hotel bar.
While outside, some revellers quizzed him about his unruly behaviour and that is when Mupasiri allegedly revealed that Kuzipa once wrote a story about him sometime in 2012 when he was the then news editor of The Mirror.
The article which Mupasiri was referring to is a satirical piece by Hot On The Heels (Hoth) which claimed that a certain guy by the name Gabu who was then staying in Rhodhene was in the habit of bashing his wife and starving her whilst spending money with girlfriends. HOTH also said in that article Gabu was not paying rentals and each time the property owner asked for his rentals, Gabu would threaten to beat him up.
After the case was published then, Mupasiri stormed The Mirror offices and grabbed Kuzipa by the collar threatening to beat him over that particular satirical article.
An alert was issued by Misa Zimbabwe on May 28, 2012 condemning Mupasiri’s overzealous behaviour.
Fast forward to 2022, it is over a decade since the said article was published but Mupasiri is still angry and wants to cause harm to Kuzipa.
Due to fear for his life because of the unpredictable backward behaviour of Mupasiri, Kuzipa reported the matter to police and Mupasiri will have his day in court on January 13, 2022.
