Mnangagwa ally granted $200 bail

VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa's ally, Energy Mutodi, has been granted $200 bail and remanded to September 14 in a matter where he is accused of posting false statements on his Facebook page insinuating two Cabinet ministers were behind President Robert Mugabe's deputy's alleged poisoning.

In a Facebook post, Mutodi alleged Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi and Health minister David Parirenyatwa were behind Mnangagwa's alleged poisoning at a Zanu-PF campaign rally in Gwanda three weeks ago.

The State had initially opposed Mutodi's bail bid, saying police wanted to take him for indications to identify the plane used to transport Mnangagwa, Parirenyatwa and Sekeramayi to Gwanda.

Police also wanted Mutodi to positively identify the people who served the top government officials with samoosas, grapes and sandwiches inside the air force plane.

But Mutodi's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, told the court that her client did not commit any offence against the State, but arguably against Sekeramayi and Parirenyatwa in their individual capacities.

"If the ministers are aggrieved, they should follow the channels and report the matter," she argued.

"This is a deliberate attempt and abuse of criminal justice by the police and Prosecutor-General's Office, who clearly align themselves with Zanu-PF factions.

"This has nothing to do with criminal law.

"Someone insulted former Vice-President Joice Mujuru saying she went to Nigeria to look for witches to kill someone, but no one was arrested for saying that," she said in obvious reference to Mugabe.