Pastor Patrick Mugadza the man who made a “prophecy” that President Robert Mugabe will die on the 17th of October 2017, was granted $50 bail by High Court judge Justice Priscilla Chigumba. Mugadza has been in remand prison for the past 8 weeks after he handed himself over to the police. The prosecutors alleged that Pastor Mugadza insulted Christian religion and the African tradition by predicting someone ‘s death. Pastor Mugadza was being represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyers Obey Shava and Gift Mtisi.
Pastor Mugadza had to spend 53 days in remand prison after Harare Magistrate Vongai Muchuchutu denied him bail saying that has a propensity to commit similar offences. However, Shava and Mtisi in their bail appeal argued that Magistrate Muchuchutu had erred and misdirected herself in denying bail to the clergyman. They argued that the grounds of propensity to commit similar offences which she relied upon only apply to serious offences and to those accused persons who would have been convicted already of which that is not the case with Pastor Mugadza.
Justice Chigumba supported the lawyers’ arguments and ruled that Magistrate Muchuchutu erred and misdirected herself in finding that Pastor Mugadza had a propensity to commit similar offences. She ruled that this does not constitute a compelling reason to deny bail to the clergyman and granted him $50 bail and ordered him not to interfere with state witnesses.
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