Edited Mugabe photo lands man in the dock

A MAN who Photoshopped his head onto President Robert Mugabe's body in a snap of the Zanu-PF leader inspecting a guard of honour has appeared in court charged with "undermining the authority of the President".

Graphic designer Ronald Chikambure, 30, fancied himself as the Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, say prosecutors.

Chikambure pleaded not guilty to a charge of undermining the authority or insulting the President before Zvishavane magistrate Story Rushambwa on Tuesday.

Stanley Ncube, prosecuting, told the court that police were tipped off that Chikambure had, on the wall of his office, a picture of himself with army chief General Constantine Chiwenga inspecting a guard of honour.

"The picture had been edited to give a false impression to people who entered Chikamnbure's office that it was him in the picture, and not the President," said Ncube.

When detectives swooped on his office on January 24, they could not locate the picture on the wall but a copy was found on his laptop computer. Prosecutors say he used the popular graphics programme, Photoshop, to crop Mugabe's head and replace it with his own.

Chikambure, who is based at the H Tafa and Associates building in the Zvishavane CBD, is represented by Bulawayo lawyer Jonathan Tsvangirai.

He was remanded out of custody to February 14 on US$100 bail.