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Harare Bureau
The chair of the Board of Censors yesterday described nude pictures of four wives of RMG Independent End Time Message leader and convicted rapist, Robert Martin Gumbura, and other women as disgraceful and anti-Zimbabwe’s culture. Gumbura’s wives, Choice Neganje (32), Amadeus Mutakwa (32), Pamela Kandawire (27), and Amanda Mbanga (27); and their co-accused Rutendo Sekai Mandiya (28), Runyararo Musvovi (27), Tendai Kwatara (34) and Moreblessing Takawira (35), face charges of contravening the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act.
They are represented by lawyer Rekai Maposa.
Testifying yesterday, Board of Censors chair Heyi James Malaba said the pictures are pornographic and not socially acceptable.
“Your worship, these pictures are disgraceful, disgusting and pornographic such that our custom and tradition cannot accept them.
“If I see my child with such pictures, I will spank him or her before destroying them because your worship these pictures are indecent,” he asserted.
During cross-examination, Maposa said her clients did not commit any offence since the pictures were taken privately in their house and the police recovered them from a locked drawer.
However, Malaba told the court that the moment the pictures fell into the hands of any other person, they ceased to be private.
“If you are on your own in a private room there is nothing wrong but as long as you bring a second person, you are breaking the law,” he said.
Prosecutor Michael Reza called Detective Constable Caroline Mumba to the witness stand to explain how he and other police officers got hold of the pictures.
Det Const Mumba said they received information that Gumbura was abusing women and children at his house and they went to investigate.
“When we arrived at the house, Gumbura’s secretary Tendai Ganyani took us to her office where we found the pictures in one of her drawers.
“She told us that the pictures were hers but when we got to the police station she then identified the accused persons as the people who were in the pictures though she was the one who was keeping them,” she said.
When the State called Det Const Tariro Rangwani, the investigating officer, the defence objected arguing that she was in court when Insp Sengwe testified.
Reza said he was unaware that she was present during the first witness’ testimony, before formally applying to have her testify on the basis that her evidence was different from Insp Sengwe’s.
Magistrate Douglas Chikwekwe remanded the matter to next Monday to allow the defence to go through the accused’s warned and cautioned statements as recorded by Det Const Rangwani.
Meanwhile, the trial of Gumbura’s secretary, Ganyani, did not resume on Tuesday after the magistrate dealing with the matter was reported to be busy elsewhere. The matter was remanded to tomorrow.
Ganyani lives at Gumbura’s Marlborough house and faces charges of possessing 16 pornographic DVDs, two pornographic magazines and 57 pornographic pictures.
Online Reporter