Japajapa Jailed Two Years For Unofficial Declaration Of Election Results

Popular for his vibrant testimony against the military at the Commission of Inquiry into the August 1 shootings, MDC activist Paddington Japajapa has been sentenced to two years in jail after he was found guilty of contravening Section 66A of the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13 (unofficial or false declaration of results).

Japajapa appeared before Harare magistrate, Mrs. Learnmore Mapiye, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment. The magistrate however suspended one year on condition of good behaviour. The suspension was granted after considering that Japajapa had no prior offense related to the case.

The State claims that on July 31, 2018, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was announcing election results when Japajapa held a Press conference and threatened to call for chaos, claiming the elections had been rigged.

The press conference was followed by the August 1 event, which involved violent demonstrations by MDC supporters. In response, the army shot and killed some of them.

The MDC is still adamant that the ZEC connived with the ruling ZANU PF to manipulate the election results in favour of ZANU PF presidential candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa was declared the winner in the election that was unsuccessfully challenged by the opposition MDC at the courts.

-State Media