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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter —
POLICE yesterday released the names of 10 individuals they say “are administrators” of the Baba Jukwa Facebook page, just as the High Court postponed to Thursday next week a bail hearing for Sunday Mail editor, Edmund Kudzayi, also accused of links with the faceless blogger.
Chief Law Officer Tawanda Zvekare told Justice Esther Muremba that Kudzayi filed a voluminous 92-page document which required a few days to study.
“We need ample time to go through the application before we file a proper response,” said Zvekare.
“We intend to file our response on July 1 and the defence file their answering affidavit on July 2 if they so wish ahead of the hearing the following day.”
Kudzayi and his brother, Phillip, are both in custody accused of being administrators of the Facebook page which agitated for an uprising in Zimbabwe and targeted senior government officials.
The brothers face charges of attempting to subvert a constitutionally-elected government and attempting to commit acts of insurgency, banditry, sabotage or terrorism.
Edmund is also facing an additional charge of undermining the authority of the President and keeping ammunition in an unsecured place.
Yesterday, police released a new set of names of “wanted persons” described as “administrators to [email protected] and Baba Jukwa Facebook page.”
The list includes the husband and wife team of Wilf and Trish Mbanga, the UK-based publishers of The Zimbabwean newspaper, as well as the weekly’s South Africa correspondent, Mxolisi Ncube.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba named the other seven as UK-based computer programmer, Samson Chifamba; UK-based systems and software engineer, Walter Shoko; George Chirakasha, a Zimbabwean resident in the UK, as well as Anomie Drew, Piniel Nhokodi, Romeo Musemburi and Sarudzai Florence for whom no further details were supplied.
The ZRP said the 10 had, along with Edmund and Phillip, established a “global network to post subversive articles on this page”.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba added: “This is the reason why Baba Jukwa Facebook page is still very active.”
She added that “police have cast the net wide and will ensure that the law takes its course on anyone engaged in subversive activities.”
Prosecutors allege that in April 2013, the two Kudzayi brothers and their accomplices still at large hatched a plan to overthrow the government through unconstitutional means.
They allegedly created a Gmail account, [email protected], using a mobile phone line registered in Phillip’s name.
The State alleges that the pair formed two separate groups called the Gunda Nleya Brigade and the Zimbabwe Revolutionary Army to overthrow the government.
They are alleged to have posted articles on the Baba Jukwa’s Facebook page which encouraged rebellion against the government if the July 31 harmonised elections “were stolen”.
On May 11 this year, The Sunday Mail published a story revealing the true identity of Baba Jukwa titled “Hackers unmask Baba Jukwa.”
The story named Mxolisi Ncube and another correspondent of The Zimbabwean, Mkhululi Chimoio, as the two key players behind the page. Both strongly denied any links with the page.
The Sunday Mail editor says in an affidavit that he is “perplexed” by the charges. He says the prosecutors are “stabbing in the dark”.
He states as a fact that the Baba Jukwa Facebook page was created on March 22, 2013, and not April as claimed in the charges. His brother only registered the Econet line said to have been used in the establishment of the page in June of that year.
Edmund, a software developer, also insists that he took an interest in Baba Jukwa after Environment and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere asked him to examine information provided by a hacker, based in Australia, who said he had established the blogger’s true identity.
He says he submitted his findings to the police and military intelligence but was surprised to find himself being arrested and charged.
He protested: “This is clearly a trial and error by the state in seeking to resolve the Baba Jukwa mystery.
“The State is just stabbing in the dark hoping along the way as they arrest innocent people like (me) and victimising the same, they would get the real Baba Jukwa. This is a clear lie. I am not Baba Jukwa at all.”
Online Reporter