Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku, Court writer
BULAWAYO businesswoman, Mrs Sipho Mazibuko, has been found guilty of participating in an unsanctioned gathering outside the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court, where they reportedly waved placards while her seven co-accused have been acquitted.
She did not attend the court session but sent her lawyer Gamelihle Ncube of Calderwood, Bryce Hendrie and Partners to inform the court that she was not feeling well and unable to attend the court session.
Her co-accused — Lydies Mutanha, Lovemore Nyanyira, Blessing Mpofu, Thandolwenkosi Nkomo, Musawenkosi Nkala, Daphney Maluleke, and Angeline Taruvanda — appeared in court yesterday before Bulawayo magistrate Provincial magistrate Mr Richard Ramaboea facing a charge of participating in a gathering with the intention to promote public violence, breaches of peace, or bigotry, as defined under Section 37 (1) (a) (1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
They were acquitted after the State failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt
The matter has been postponed to 19 November for sentencing.
In convicting Mazibuko the magistrate said there was over-whelming evidence that she organized a group of youths to wave placards at the Bulawayo Magistrates Courts housed at the Tredgold Building stating that a rape matter was taking too long to be finalised and accused the child’s grandmother of aiding her son to rape his underage niece.
The court noted that Mazibuko was the mastermind of the crime and used her influence to force youths to wave placards against the elderly woman.
