A nurse at Murambinda Mission Hospital has been arrested for allegedly denigrating President Robert Mugabe.

Fentone Mangezi (36) is accused of undermining the authority of the President as defined in Section 33(2)(b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.The case was heard before Murambinda Magistrate Dennis Mangosi last week.

Several people have been arrested for allegedly insulting the veteran leader who is accused by many of gross violation of human rights and shrewd policies. Mangezi allegedly uttered abusive and insulting words about Mugabe in public.

The court heard that Mangezi was at Chani Turn Off, along the Chivhu-Nyazura some time last month when he deliberately made remarks aimed at insulting Mugabe. He approached Ngonidzashe Mutsipa and Tarisai Nyanzira who were eating some sugarcane under a tree. He then allegedly insulted Mugabe.

You have heard that the old man, Bob, is messing himself, he will be dead by April 18,”he allegedly said.

State security agents later trailed Mangezi and arrested him at Murambinda Mission Hospital.

Human rights groups and political analysts described the harassment of Mangezi by state security agents as a well calculated manoeuvre meant to close democratic space ahead of the 2018 polls.

This is yet another attempt by the regime to intimate and harass innocent civilians,”said Mathias Rugwaro, a Buhera based human rights activist.