News / National
Driver fined over 'vote MDC' signature
18 Jul 2017 at 06:45hrs | Views
A BINDURA kombi driver, Malter Matchiya, was last month fined $20 for allegedly appending the words "Vote MDC" on a police traffic ticket, after he was stopped at a roadblock along the Bindura-Shamva Road.
Matchiya had initially been fined $10 on June 4 for overloading his kombi by two passengers.
After paying the fine, he scribbled the words "Vote MDC" in place of his signature on the ticket and drove away.
Two days later, police went to his Chiwaridzo home in Bindura and fined him an additional $20 for the "offensive" signature.
According to a ticket signed by Constable Hlahla, force number 07171W, Matchiya's signature contravened section 46(2)(a)(v) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
"The accused wrote the words 'Vote MDC' on the signature part of the Z69J book," read the offence.
Matchiya said although he did not understand the nature of his offence he, nonetheless, paid the admission of guilt fine of $20 to avoid being kept in cells overnight.
"My employer fired me after pressure from Shamva police, who told him that I was now banned from driving any public transport and most transport operators are now reluctant to employ me," he said.
Asked if he regretted his decision to sign off as "Vote MDC", Matchiya said: "Certainly not, because I truly believe that one's signature can be a depiction of someone's name, nickname or even a simple 'X' one puts on documents, as proof of identity and intent and I committed no crime.
"My signature has the words Vote MDC and I can't be forced to change it."
Matchiya had initially been fined $10 on June 4 for overloading his kombi by two passengers.
After paying the fine, he scribbled the words "Vote MDC" in place of his signature on the ticket and drove away.
Two days later, police went to his Chiwaridzo home in Bindura and fined him an additional $20 for the "offensive" signature.
According to a ticket signed by Constable Hlahla, force number 07171W, Matchiya's signature contravened section 46(2)(a)(v) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.
"The accused wrote the words 'Vote MDC' on the signature part of the Z69J book," read the offence.
Matchiya said although he did not understand the nature of his offence he, nonetheless, paid the admission of guilt fine of $20 to avoid being kept in cells overnight.
"My employer fired me after pressure from Shamva police, who told him that I was now banned from driving any public transport and most transport operators are now reluctant to employ me," he said.
Asked if he regretted his decision to sign off as "Vote MDC", Matchiya said: "Certainly not, because I truly believe that one's signature can be a depiction of someone's name, nickname or even a simple 'X' one puts on documents, as proof of identity and intent and I committed no crime.
"My signature has the words Vote MDC and I can't be forced to change it."
Source - newsday
