By Staff Reporter
In a surprising turn of events, prominent lawyer and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere has been spared a jail term after being found guilty of communicating falsehoods.
Accusations against the opposition official arise from a video that went viral in 2020 showing a wailing woman who was tussling with a uniformed police officer claiming the operative had killed her baby.
Mahere, through her Twitter handle, allegedly relayed the claims that police had killed the infant, something that was later dismissed as untrue by police.
The trial, which lasted for several months, saw Mahere pleading not guilty to the charges however, Harare Magistrate Taurai Manuwere ruled against her, finding her guilty of the offense.
Despite this, Manuwere, decided not to impose a custodial sentence on Mahere, instead, he ordered her to pay a fine of US$500 or ZWL equivalent to interbank rate by May 2023.
Failure to pay the fine she will spend three months in jail.
Opposition CCC has raised concerns alleging selective application of the law and the shrinking space for dissent in Zimbabwe.
Many had feared that Mahere would be handed a harsh sentence as part of an alleged wider crackdown on government critics.
The State had suggested that a three-year jail term.
