Opposition Politician Gadzamoyo Dewa Sentenced To One Year For Insulting President Mnangagwa

Gadzamoyo Dewa, a prominent opposition politician, has been sentenced to one year in prison for insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Dewa (58) was sentenced at Bindura Magistrates’ Court on 24 November 2025 and is currently serving his sentence at Chawagona Prison in Bindura.

Dewa, who once contested the Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe parliamentary seat against First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa and is now president of the Zimbabwe People’s Party (ZPP), allegedly insulted the President while travelling on a public bus, calling him “a clueless dog” and accusing him of stealing public funds while people are starving. He has also previously dragged former President Robert Mugabe to court.

His lawyer, Ernest Jena, told Masvingo Mirror that he is appealing both the conviction and the sentence at the High Court. Dewa’s bail application was dismissed by Magistrate Ruramai Chitumbura.

Dewa was charged under Section 33(2)(B) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) for undermining the authority of, or insulting, the President. According to court documents, Dewa said:

“Mnangagwa imbwa, atadza kutonga nyika, inonsense, ari kuita basa rekuba mari yese yenyika vanhu vari muno mubhazi vachitambura ava, Mnangagwa is very stupid imbavha.”

Loosely translated, Dewa said, “The president is a dog; he has failed to rule this country. He is nonsense and is stealing the country’s money, and everyone in this bus is suffering because of him.”

Dewa was arrested on 20 December 2024 while travelling to Mt Darwin on a Bless It Up Motors bus to attend a funeral.

The State said Dewa shouted the words as the bus passed through the Shashi Mountains in Bindura.

One witness, Johannes Zezai (52), a miner from Mt Darwin, told the court that he had to stop several men from assaulting Dewa over what he said. Said Zezai:

“I tried to persuade the accused to stop his insults, but it was as if I had added petrol to a fire.

“Inevitably, when we got to Mupfurudzi Toll-gate, I asked the driver to park the bus while I asked the Police to arrest the accused.”

In his defence, Dewa said he was merely expressing his intention to run for the presidency in 2028 and argued that he is a victim of political persecution. He said:

“The truth is defendant informed people who were standing near him that he wanted to be the next President in 2028; that the country needs new people and a new broom, Dr Gadzamoyo Dewa, to cleanse the country of kleptocracy, cronyism and corruption puppets.

“This discussion started after we had left Bindura, and it did not go well with those who were saying Mashonaland Central was a ZANU PF strong hold.

“The issue is the informant failed to comprehend the English I was talking in and made his own conclusion…

“It would appear the informant had gone asleep when he woke up and heard people talking about a topic which informant did not trace how it had started.

“It was informant submission that some people at the back of the bus wanted to beat defendant, but these witnesses never turned up, which proves the informant is lying and pushing for defendant’s jailing for no reason…”