Cheeky quip lands three in jail for blocking Zim presidential motorcade

Three men refused to give way to Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s motorcade on Friday, after claiming they too were “bosses”.

But their cheeky behaviour landed them in jail and they appeared in court on Saturday on  charges of contravening the Road Traffic Act and assaulting a police officer.

It is the state’s case that Stanley Zibako, 37, Honest Diura, 47 and Tadzoka Nago, 42 were in Mnangagwa’s hometown, Kwekwe, when they were approached and asked by a police officer, Clemence Mande, to move their vehicle from where it was parked, because it was on the president’s route.

However, instead of doing what had been asked of them, the state claimed that Diura allegedly said, “we are also bosses”, indicating that they would not give way to the presidential motorcade.

Mande then moved in to arrest them but after a scuffle, the trio got into their vehicle, in the process opposing Mnangagwa’s motorcade on a recently renamed street, ED Mnangagwa Road.

Mnangagwa’s procession was speeding from Gweru, 100km from Kwekwe, on its way to his farm, Sherwood.

Two outrider bikers then pursued the trio's car and blocked them. The men were arrested and appeared in court. They were released on Z$2 000 (about R270) bail and will return to court on December 9.

In May last year, a Harare man was assaulted by bikers from the presidential motorcade for obstructing the president's route.

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