Jailed Gumbura in another bid for freedom

Jailed RMG Independent End Time Messages founder Robert Martin Gumbura's civil appeal against both his rape conviction and sentencing will now be heard this Wednesday at the High Court 2 years into his 40-year jail term.

Gumbura, who was convicted on 4 counts of rape in February 2014, is living no stone unturned in pursuing freedom.

This coming Wednesday will see his fresh bid to secure the quashing of his conviction and sentence being entertained before a High Court judge.

Gumbura is currently serving a lengthy jail term at the infamous Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison Complex following his conviction on 4 counts of rape when he appeared before Harare regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya facing 9 counts of rape.

He was also found guilty of possessing p-rnographic material and sentenced to a total of 50 years imprisonment 10 of which were wholly suspended on condition he does not commit an offence of a similar nature within 5 years.

After his conviction, he made several applications for bail pending appeal which were all thrown out, with Supreme Court judge Justice Bharat Patel ruling that his appeal was doomed to fail and had no prospects of success at all.

Gumbura's conviction has widely been debated in social circles with other legal minds opining that the cleric has chances of success as the circumstances surrounding the alleged rapes did not clearly meet the test required to warrant a conviction.

The court of public opinion, however, has no jurisdiction in determining the outcome of the shamed cleric's latest bid for freedom.

That jurisdiction lies squarely in the hands of the High Court which will preside over the matter to come up with a determination.