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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
GOKWE-Nembudziya MP, Justice Mayor Wadyajena, is a wanted man after a Victoria Falls magistrate yesterday issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to appear in court. Wadyajena who was last month cleared of an alleged charge of denigrating the First Lady, Cde Grace Mugabe, was supposed to stand trial for disorderly conduct but did not show up at the Victoria Falls magistrates’ courts.
This prompted Victoria Falls resident magistrate, Lindiwe Maphosa, to issue a warrant of arrest after the State, led by Takundwa Ndovorwi applied for his arrest.
The MP’s lawyer Givemore Muvhiringi said he had indicated to the state that Wadyajena was not feeling well and was in Harare.
It could not be established what the Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator was suffering from, but it is understood that his doctor advised him against travelling long distances until he recovers.
Muvhiringi told The Chronicle that the defence team will ensure that the legislator travels to Victoria Falls before he is arrested.
“Everything is dependent on his condition but as soon as he is able to travel from Harare he will come for a default inquiry. We will try to make sure he travels to Victoria Falls before police pick him up,” said Muvhiringi.
Wadyajena was arrested in December soon after the 15th Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference for insulting Cde Jimayi Muduvuri, a Zanu-PF member based in Kadoma and the insults also alledgedly denigrated the First Lady, the State alleged.
He was initially charged with criminal insult or alternatively disorderly conduct.
The criminal insult charges were dropped following an application by his lawyers for refusal of further remand.
The application was granted on the grounds that the criminal insult charge was unconstitutional after being declared so by the Constitutional Court.
Wadyajena, 35, of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare who is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment has not been asked to plead and is out on $800 bail.
He reports once a week at Borrowdale Police Station.
According to prosecutors, at about 9:45PM on December 11, Cde Muduvuri was travelling to Elephant Hills Hotel along Park Way in his Mercedes Benz ML320 which had pictures of the First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe all over the body with words “Munhu wese kuna Amai” (Everyone should rally behind the First Lady)’ inscribed below the pictures.
Wadyajena who was standing beside his car was alleged to have shouted: “Iwe Jimayi urimboko…Unongoti munhu wese kunaAmai sei. Get away.” Loosely translated, “Jimayi you are an idiot,Why do you say everyone should rally behind the First Lady? Get away.”)