News / National
BREAKING: 'Baba Jukwa' arrested over army uniform
22 Feb 2019 at 04:51hrs | Views
Former government employee and Sunday Mail editor, Mr Edmund Kudzayi of the Baba Jukwa fame, was arrested on Friday morning after police stopped his vehicle at a roadblock and found a "camouflage umbrella".
He is currently detained at Borrowdale Police Station.
Kudzayi has been charged under Section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act: "unlawful possession of a camouflage uniform".
The arrest comes after the Zimbabwe National Army announced that it is conducting a snap search on residential areas to search for military regalia that was stolen during the January 14 mass protests.
Kudzayi rose to fame in 2014 after he was arrested and accused of running the Baba Jukwa and Amai Jukwa Facebook pages simultaneously.
When Kudzayi asked a police officer what he was being charged with, the officer replied: "Section 32."
Section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act criminalises unlawful possession and wearing of "any camouflage uniform." It defines camouflage uniform as "any article of wearing apparel made of material carrying military-style camouflage markings."
The soldiers handed the journalist over to the police who booked him at Borrowdale Police Station. His lawyer, Admire Rubaya, had arrived at the police station around midday to try and secure his release.
The Zimbabwe National Army, in a February 20 public notice, said it would conduct "snap searches for ZNA uniforms and other resembling clothing items in residential areas starting this weekend."
"This has been necessitated by the sharp rise in cases of theft, robbery, etc, executed using military regalia mostly by rogue elements of the society. Members of the public are urged to voluntarily surrender these clothing items to the search teams before the searches are conducted or surrender them to the nearest police station of army camp," the army said.
The threat of house-to-house searches will alarm Zimbabweans who are still reeling from a brutal crackdown by the military in the wake of the January protests. Human rights groups say over 17 people have been killed and over 600 others brutalised after the police and army went door-to-door in residential areas on the pretext of hunting for "looters."
He is currently detained at Borrowdale Police Station.
Kudzayi has been charged under Section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act: "unlawful possession of a camouflage uniform".
The arrest comes after the Zimbabwe National Army announced that it is conducting a snap search on residential areas to search for military regalia that was stolen during the January 14 mass protests.
Kudzayi rose to fame in 2014 after he was arrested and accused of running the Baba Jukwa and Amai Jukwa Facebook pages simultaneously.
EXCLUSIVE: The moment former Sunday Mail editor @EdmundKudzayi is detained over a camouflage brolly after his vehicle was searched by soldiers at a roadblock in Borrowdale pic.twitter.com/E32dMz6Vh2
— ZimLive (@zimlive) February 22, 2019
When Kudzayi asked a police officer what he was being charged with, the officer replied: "Section 32."
Section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act criminalises unlawful possession and wearing of "any camouflage uniform." It defines camouflage uniform as "any article of wearing apparel made of material carrying military-style camouflage markings."
The soldiers handed the journalist over to the police who booked him at Borrowdale Police Station. His lawyer, Admire Rubaya, had arrived at the police station around midday to try and secure his release.
The Zimbabwe National Army, in a February 20 public notice, said it would conduct "snap searches for ZNA uniforms and other resembling clothing items in residential areas starting this weekend."
"This has been necessitated by the sharp rise in cases of theft, robbery, etc, executed using military regalia mostly by rogue elements of the society. Members of the public are urged to voluntarily surrender these clothing items to the search teams before the searches are conducted or surrender them to the nearest police station of army camp," the army said.
The threat of house-to-house searches will alarm Zimbabweans who are still reeling from a brutal crackdown by the military in the wake of the January protests. Human rights groups say over 17 people have been killed and over 600 others brutalised after the police and army went door-to-door in residential areas on the pretext of hunting for "looters."
Source - Byo24News
