Outspoken Zimbabwean government critic Wellington Masiwa has found himself entangled in a cross-border legal battle after South African authorities served him with an arrest warrant from Zimbabwe.
Masiwa operates on social media as Nyokayemabhunu. He is a vocal critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who allegedly ran anti-government WhatsApp groups from South Africa.
The activist also allegedly backed war veteran Blessed Geza during the infamous 31 March Zimbabwe protests.
Wellington Masiwa appears in the SA court
According to Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, South African police arrested Maiwa on 13 April. They charged him with contravention of Section 49(1) of the Immigration Act for being in South Africa without a valid visa or permit.
Last week, Masiwa appeared at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court facing immigration charges. During the court proceedings, the South African authorities served him with an international arrest warrant. According to the warrant, Masiwa has to serve an outstanding fraud sentence in Zimbabwe.
Masiwa’s bail hearing postponed
Masiwa’s bail application hit a snag after he presented a Zimbabwean birth certificate and ID bearing a date of birth that differs from official government records.
While Masiwa’s documents indicate he was born in 1987, Zimbabwean authorities claim his birth year is 1977. South African prosecutors, citing information from the Zimbabwean Embassy, argued the documents are fraudulent.
The court will hear the matter again on 9 May. According to his legal team, Masiwa believes these charges are being used as a cover to extradite him to Zimbabwe.
His lawyer, Brian Machingura, said those WhatsApp groups, once hubs of political activism, have since been hacked and are now being used to circulate pornographic material.
Do you believe the charges against Masiwa are legitimate or politically driven?
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