By Cephas Shava
Mwenezi – Former Mwenezi district organizer of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) then led by Nelson Chamisa, Tineyi Mapepa who has been facing charges of inciting violence was on Tuesday, July 16 sentenced to 36 months behind bars by Mwenezi Magistrate Conceptor Ngwerume after a full trial.
Mapepa (46) of village 4 Muzhanjire Ranch in Mwenezi District was being charged with incitement as defined in Section 187(1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.
He was being represented by Noble Chinhanu of the Jiti Law Chambers and had pleaded not guilty to the charges but was, however, found guilty after a full trial.
Ngwerume sentenced Mapepa to 36 months behind bars of which 16 months were conditionally suspended and he will serve an effective 20 months in prison.
It was the state’s case as presented by Prosecutor Leyton Katsidzira that on July 23, 2023 while at Rutenga Business Centre in Mwenezi at around 1415hours Mapepa convened a meeting on behalf of the CCC party at the business center. The meeting was sanctioned by the police to start at 1400hrs and to end at 1600hrs.
The State argued that since Mapepa was one of the CCC leaders, at 1600 hrs he was asked by police officers to disperse the crowd but the accused reportedly refused as he allegedly started to tell people not to disperse and the crowd heeded up until 1700 hrs when a convoy of then party leader Chamisa arrived at Rutenga Growth Point.
The State further argued that police officers approached Mapepa and his crowd to try and disperse them but he and other members pelted them with stones, threatening to assault them. The officers later on managed to disperse the crowd.
Mapepa was then subpoenaed by police to attend court months after the incident, subsequently leading to his arrest, trial, and conviction for incitement.
