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Mliswa resurrects juvenile war with Zim Morning Post over Susan Mutami story

 

HARARE – Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has resurrected his juvenile fight with the Zim Morning Post after he re-instituted legal proceedings against the publication over a story it carried in January last year.

Police on Wednesday summoned Zim Morning Post publisher Elias Mambo and journalist Farayi Machamire after the legislator laid criminal insult charges against the pair.

The duo had previously been arrested on 14 May 2021 charged with criminal insult following an article they published after a press conference held by Susan Mutami on her alleged personal disputes with a Mliswa.

 

Mliswa is alleging that he was criminally insulted following the publication of the article.

Mambo said it was tragic and cowardly of Mliswa to be pursuing a case with journalists when he should be dealing with the source of his misery.

“We are not worried or concerned by this. It is a continued harassment of the media which is not new to us,” he said.

“It is great that we will have our day in court and everything will be laid bare. Journalism is not a crime. All Mliswa should have done was to take the issue to Susan Mutami’s doorstep. Now he is fighting the media which is nothing but conveyors of messages and in the process he is missing his target. If you want to hit a tree, never aim at the forest.”

Mambo and Machamire have been requested to appear at the Harare Magistrates Court on October 24.

Before he laid criminal charges against Zim Morning Post last year, Mliswa held a press conference on February 12 in which he made unsubstantiated accusations against Mambo and Machamire.

Earlier, over a telephone call, he had threatened to kill Mambo over the story adding that if he doesn’t kill him then his children will poison the investigative journalist in supposed revenge for their father.

The matter between Zim Morning Post and Mliswa was then set down for hearing before MISA who came up with a solution which Mliswa accepted.

However, the Norton MP did not feel that was enough and later instituted criminal legal proceedings.

Curiously, Zim Morning Post was not the only publication that published Ms Susan Mutami’s comments.

Her comments on Mliswa have been carried by mainstream and online media as the pair took their fight onto social media and public spaces.

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