by Innocent Mujeri
Analysts have described the deactivation of Hopewell Chin’ono’s social media sites as a way of deleting all evidence that he knows could incriminate him on incitement charges he is facing.
Chin’ono was arrested yesterday alongside the leader of the little known Transform Zimbabwe, Jacob Ngarivhume, accused of contravening section 187 (1) (a) as read with section 37 (1) (a)(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, on incitement to participate in public violence.
Surprisingly, Chin’ono’s official Twitter handle @daddyhope was deactivated soon after his arrest, a move interpreted as a way of deleting all criminal evidence against him.
“If Chin’ono was innocent of the charges he is being accused of, why did he deactivate his social media sites. Is there something he is trying to hide by deactivating his social media sites,” queried political analyst Tashinga Chabayanzara.
Another political analyst, Terrence Chipwanya further said that it was now evident that Chin’ono works with other people in his regime change agenda because his Twitter account was deactivated long after he was arrested.
“It is now clear that Chin’ono is not alone in his regime change agenda. The Twitter account was deactivated after Chin’ono was arrested and he had no access to it. It therefore shows that there are other individuals who manages the @daddyhope Twitter page other than Chin’ono,” said Chipwanya.
One legal guru who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said he was baffled by people who were demanding the immediate release of Chin’ono when there is reasonable evidence that he used his Facebook and Twitter handles to incite people to violently oust a constitutionally elected Government.
The legal guru went further to say that incitement was a chargeable offence in Zimbabwe.
“Chapter 9:23, Section 187 clearly states that any person who, in any manner, communicates with another person, intending by the communication to persuade or induce the other person to commit a crime, whether in terms of this Code or any other enactment; or realising that there is a real risk or possibility that the other person may be persuaded or induced by the communication to commit a crime, whether in terms of this Code or any other enactment; shall be guilty of incitement to commit the crime concerned. Therefore the police were justified in their arrest of Chin’ono because his previous tweets were inciting people to violently demonstrate against the Government.
“Chin’ono himself knows that he has committed a crime and that might be the reason he deactivated his social media accounts,” said the legal guru.
Nobleman Runyanga, another political analyst, said it’s baffling that the American Embassy is calling for the immediate release of Chin’ono but such arrests have also been made in their countries.
“America arrested Edward Snowden for leaking information considered highly classified by the National Security Agency (NSA).The information released by Snowden was meant to incite people to be hostile to the American Government and he was arrested for that. Snowden’s case is just the same as that of Chin’ono and the Americans should not cry more than the bereaved,” said Runyanga.
The opposition elements in Zimbabwe are planning to stage violent demonstrations on 31 July 2020. Chin’ono and Ngarivhume were at the forefront of inciting people to violently overthrow the constitutionally elected Government of President Mnangagwa, through demonstrations.
