Zim police summon Gays director over an anti-Mugabe slur

POLICE on Tuesday 3 July 3, 2012 summoned Chesterfield Samba, the director of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) for allegedly undermining the authority of or insulting President Robert Mugabe in contravention of Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Samba, who was accompanied by his lawyer, Jeremiah Bamu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights reported at the Zimbabwe Republic Police's CID Drugs Section on Tuesday 3 July 2012 after he was summoned by Detective Assistant Inspector (DAI) Mupandawana on Monday 2 July 2012.

DAI Mupandawana and the Officer in Charge of CID Drugs Section identified as Chibvuma interrogated Samba over the operations of GALZ and advised that the police intended to charge the organization for contravening Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. The police claim that in 2010 GALZ displayed a plaque of former San Francisco Mayor Willie Lewis Brown, Jr in their office in which the African-American denounces President Mugabe's homophobia against gays and lesbians.

These charges were initially pressed against two GALZ employees Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Mhambi when they were arrested in 2010 but they were never prosecuted on these charges. The two GALZ employees, who stood trial for allegedly possessing pornographic pictures in contravention of Section 26(1) of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act (Chapter10:04) were acquitted in 2010.

Samba is expected to return to the CID Drugs Section on Wednesday 4 July 2012 at 1100 hours in the company of his lawyer to furnish the police with a letter advising them of who the legal representative of GALZ is.