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Herald Correspondent
The lawyer representing two company directors accused of erecting an illegal billboard in Borrowdale denigrating a property developing
company today requested for a transcript with the ruling on their application for exception which was dismissed last week.
The duo Mark Strathen of Paragon Printers and Grant Russell of Fairclot Investments who are represented by Gwinyai Mharapara and
Tafara Danana are facing criminal nuisance charges.
Mr Mharapara said he checked for the transcript in the morning but it was not yet ready. The matter was then postponed to October 8 for
continuation.
In dismissing the application for exception Harare Magistrate Sharon Rakafa dismissed the application saying issues they raised in their
application for exception are triable issues.
The matter has been on roll since 2021 owing to several postponements caused by the accused persons.
State prosecutor Shambadzeni Fungura had been accusing the accused persons of using delaying tactics to derail the trial.
It is the State’s case that on December 10, 2020, at around 2 pm on the opposite side of Celebration Church in Borrowdale, Harare the
accused persons erected a billboard with damaging information on WestProperties in a bid to tarnish its image.
It was alleged that Russell and Strathen caused false alarm to the public through the information that was written on the billboard.
The State alleges that the billboard erected by the two had contents that were likely to interfere with the ordinary comfort or convenience of
the complainant’s clients.
The complainant made a report to the police leading to their arrest.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter