Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Zimbabwe priest held over Mugabe death prophecy

Zimbabwe police on Monday detained a pastor who claimed that veteran President Robert Mugabe, who turns 93 next month, would die in October, his lawyer said.

Gift Mtisi said Pastor Patrick Mugadza was arrested at the magistrate’s court in Harare where he was appearing on separate charges of wearing the national flag and charged over the prophecy made last week about Mugabe’s demise.

“He was appearing at the court on a different matter when police arrested him during a break and charged him over the prophecy,” Mtisi told AFP.

“He was initially charged with undermining the authority of the president and the charge was later changed to insulting people of a certain race or religion.”

Mugadza, who is based in the northern resort town on Kariba held a press conference last week where he announced that Mugabe would die on October 17.

Poking fun at Mugabe or making predictions about him is a risky business in Zimbabwe, which has a law that forbids “undermining the authority of or insulting the president.”

In 2015, Mugadza was arrested and detained for nearly a month after holding a placard telling Mugabe his people were suffering under his rule.

On independence day last year he gave a sermon while tied to a lamppost in Harare’s main shopping mall saying the act symbolised the lack of freedom in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe has been in power since independence from British colonial rule in 1980. His health has been subject of speculation as he makes frequent visits to the Far East for medical treatment.

Mugabe has avoided naming a successor and his ZANU-PF party has been riven by factional fights between camps angling to succeed him.

The president faced a surge of opposition street protests last year against his authoritarian regime. DM

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options

Become a Maverick Insider

This could have been a paywall

On another site this would have been a paywall. Maverick Insider keeps our content free for all.

Become an Insider

Every seed of hope will one day sprout.

South African citizens throughout the country are standing up for our human rights. Stay informed, connected and inspired by our weekly FREE Maverick Citizen newsletter.