RadioVop Zimbabwe: White Farmer In Court Over Mugabe Insult

White Farmer In Court Over Mugabe Insult
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RadioVop  on 25/07/2011 18:18:00

Bulawayo, July 25, 2011 —A 76 year- old white commercial farmer and miner Mike
Van Royen who was arrested in Bulawayo on Friday on charges of insulting
President Robert Mugabe appeared in court on Monday afternoon and was granted
free bail to appear in court in mid-August.

Van Royen who runs Cynthia Mine and Asher Estate farm in Matobo  district,
Matebeleland South province was arrested on Friday after a top  Zanu (PF)
official in Bulawayo province, Joe Tshuma alleged that he had  insulted Mugabe
and him over the phone.
Appearing before Bulawayo Magistrate Victor Mpofu ,Van Royen was  charged under
Section 33 of the Criminal Law Act for insulting or  undermining the president.
Allegations against the white  commercial farmer are that on Wednesday he was
phoned by Tshuma who is  interested in his farm but the white farmer replied
telling Tshuma “to  go and hang together with Mugabe.”
Magistrate Mpofu granted him free bail and his case was postponed to 11 August.
Before  Van Royen’s arrest on Friday, Tshuma who is said to be interested in 
the white farmer’s property and a group of Zanu (PF) youths had visited  Asher
Estates farm and Cynthia Mine last Monday and locked all gates and  threatened
his workers before barring him from entering.
The white commercial farmer’s lawyer Tawanda Mashayamombe said:  “This is
just political harassment, these guys are interested in my  client’
properties.”
Van Royen's arrest came at time when  Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
last week said it was worried  by the rate at which state security agencies are
arresting citizens on  charges of insulting Mugabe, whose cases the organisation
is receiving  every day.
Last month police arrested Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s  Office
Jameson Timba for calling Mugabe ‘a liar’. A Chipinge man Gift  Mafuka was
jailed for 12  months for  last year for insulting Mugabe.