Sigh of relief for solo-demo-pastor

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A Pentecostal church pastor from Kariba who allegedly staged a one-man demonstration against Zanu-PF had his bail conditions relaxed yesterday.
Patrick Mugadza, 45, a pastor with the little known Remnant Church in Kariba, who is facing criminal nuisance charges, temporarily got his passport back and will report once a month to the police, not once a week as previously ordered.
Mugadza was last month granted $50 bail and ordered to surrender his passport, report once a week to the police, continue to reside at his given address and not interfere with witnesses as part of the bail conditions.
His lawyer, Lizwe Jamela of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, yesterday applied for the release of Mugadza’s passport as well as the relaxation of the reporting condition and prosecutor, Takunda Ndovorwi, consented.
“The accused is making a request to have the bail reporting condition scrapped and that his passport be released to him whenever he wants to travel. He wants to travel to Siavonga in Zambia and it is my submission that there won’t be any inconvenience if the passport is released today and if need be we will hand it back,” said Jamela.
“His reporting has so far satisfied the court that he doesn’t intend to flee while the allegations he is facing are not serious and the maximum penalty for the crime can be a fine of $200 or six months in jail.”
Jamela said delays in the start of trial couldn’t be blamed on his client.
Victoria Falls resident magistrate, Lindiwe Maphosa, who last month reduced Mugadza’s bail from $500 to $50 after the pastor failed to raise the money, altered the bail conditions.
“The accused’s passport is temporarily released to him today and should be returned on February 11 while the bail reporting condition is also altered. He will now report once a month,” said Maphosa.
The case was deferred to Thursday next week after the prosecutor requested to be given more time to make submissions in response to the defence’s application to have the matter referred to the Constitutional Court.
Mugadza’s lawyers have previously argued that he should not be charged as he was exercising his Constitutional right to demonstrate.
Allegations by the State are that the pastor travelled all the way from Kariba to Victoria Falls to stage a solo demonstration against Zanu PF during the party’s 15th Annual National People’s Conference in December.
Mugadza was immediately arrested near Bata Building in the resort town after members of the public alerted the police.