Council boss takes ‘Boko Haram’ leader to court over WhatsApp insults

Gweru City Council long serving acting chamber secretary Gibson Chingwadza has applied for a binding over order against former municipal employees union secretary general Francis Muzorera.

This follows WhatsApp texts allegedly posted by Muzorera on the group Gweru 24/7.

The fearless, outspoken youth, who possesses a flying licence but was employed as a driver at the local authority, claims to have been trained in political strategy at ZANU PF’s infamous Border Gezi training camp.

Muzorera (right) "Isu takabikwa kuBorder Gezi chaiko."

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According to the document Chingwadza, through his lawyers, Chitere Chidawanyika and Partners, said “the respondent (Muzorera) has committed acts that are likely to breach peace towards me and has uttered words about and concerning me that are defamatory, denigrating and likely to provoke the breach of peace, to the extent that I beseech this Honourable Court to protect me from the illegal, wrongful and unlawful conduct by respondent,” said the top council official.

Added Chingwadza: “On or about 12^th of September 2015 I was alerted by my colleague who is a member of a WhatsApp group known as Gweru 24/7 that the respondent was denigrating me. The respondent was using his cell phone line number 0716 072… and his username ‘Pasi naChingwadza’

“…he was asked by a person using line 0712 718… whose name is Mukanya as to who really was the Chingwadza that he was talking about and he answered that (he meant) the one from Council,” added Chingwadza.

He argued that he ‘was the only Chingwadza at (Gweru city) council.’ He also attached a copy of the conversation (Annexure A), and claimed to possess the respondent’s verbal address on tape.

'Boko Haram' leaders addressing council workers

The council boss who reportedly has scores of charges to answer to in the controversial Gweru City Council Audit document prepared at Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s order, further said that after council employees, dubbed ‘Boko Haram’ staged a failed demonstration on 25 November 2015, Muzorera addressed them, repeating allegations that Chingwadza was a thief who had looted council council funds and property.

On 22 December 2015 at a funeral service of one of the council employees at Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour, Chingwadza says Muzorera openly uttered (words) to the effect that ‘kunofa vanhu vakanaka kuchisara imbwa idzi vana Chingwadza…” meaning “good people die leaving (behind) dogs like Chingwadza.

He further claimed Muzorera repeated the same allegations at Enfield Court at the funeral wake, where he admitted to have lost his cool but was restrained by one Mr Marusenga.

The matter will be heard at the Civil Courts on 19 January 2016.