The
charge
stems
from
a
satirical
column, Muckracker,
which
appeared
in
the
weekly
publication.
The
piece
mocked
Zimbabwe’s
recent
assumption
of
the
Southern
African
Development
Community
(SADC)
chairmanship,
describing
the
regional
bloc
as
a
“trade
union
of
dictators.”
Zaba’s
lawyer,
Chris
Mhike,
confirmed
her
detention,
saying
the
police
insisted
she
spend
the
night
in
custody
ahead
of
a
possible
court
appearance
provisionally
set
for
Wednesday,
02
July.
Said
Mhike:
Senior
journalist
and
editor
of
the
Zimbabwe
Independent,
Faith
Zaba
has
been
arrested
by
the
ZRP
today
on
allegations
of
undermining
the
authority
of
or
insulting
the
President.
The
charge
relates
to
a
satirical
Muckraker
article
published
last
Friday.After
police
recorded
a
warned
and
cautioned
statement
from
Zaba,
they
insisted
on
detaining
her
overnight,
pending
a
court
appearance
provisionally
tomorrow.We
are
deeply
disappointed
with
the
determination
of
the
authorities
to
lock
Zaba
up,
even
in
the
face
of
medical
confirmation
of
her
current
severe
illness.
Members
of
the
Criminal
Investigations
Department
(CID)
Law
and
Order
section
reportedly
made
two
attempts
to
locate
Faith
Zaba
at
the
offices
of
Alpha
Media
Holdings,
the
publishers
of
the Zimbabwe
Independent,
but
were
unsuccessful.
Zaba
later
surrendered
herself
to
the
police,
accompanied
by
her
lawyer
Chris
Mhike
and
Alpha
Media
Holdings
legal
representative
Tatenda
Chikohora.