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Court finds Zimbabwe's first president guilty of 11 assault charges Ecumenical News International Tuesday, December 1, 1998 Harare, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's first president, Canaan Banana, a Methodist minister and theologian, has been convicted of 11 charges of sexually assaulting several men. The offenses were committed in the 1980s when Banana was the head of state. However, Banana, aged 61, who apparently skipped bail and fled Zimbabwe several days ago, was not in court November 26 to hear the verdict. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. In a 75-page judgment, the High Court president, Godfrey Chidyausiku, and two assessors found Banana guilty of five serious sex offenses, one involving a job-seeker who had come to the president seeking help, two against his former security aide Jefta Dube, and one against a man who worked as cook at State House, the president's official residence. He was also convicted on five counts of indecent assault and one of common assault. The court will hear submissions about sentencing on December 10. [The hearing of submissions will overlap the 50th Jubilee Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Dec. 3-14. The Zimbabwe government and the council have a fragile agreement that restrains Zimbawbe from arresting WCC participants from homosexual acts, normally punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Two workshops led by homosexual activists are scheduled as part of the WCC's agenda.] Illegal departure The prosecution counsel, Augustine Chikumira, secretary for justice, legal and parliamentary affairs and former director of public prosecutions, said the state was treating Banana's departure from Zimbabwe as a serious matter. "His passport is still lodged with the registrar of this court. Whatever method he used to leave the country was illegal or sinister. In my submission it was designed to avoid the possible consequences of this case," he said, according to a report in Harare's Herald newspaper. Zimbabwe would request Banana's extradition, Chikumira added. According to reports in the Zimbabwe media, Banana has fled to neighboring Botswana where he has sought assistance from the Anglican Church. There is also speculation that he is seeking political asylum. However, a Botswana government spokesperson told the Herald that Banana had not asked for asylum and might have already left Botswana. A spokesperson for Walter Makhulu, Anglican Bishop of Botswana and Archbishop of the Province of Central Africa, said the archbishop had met Banana on 25 Nov. 25, but he did not now know where he was. A Mugabe ally A prominent Zimbabwean theologian who has been active in the ecumenical movement and was imprisoned in the 1970s for campaigning for democracy, Canaan Banana was given the largely ceremonial position of president when Zimbabwe won its independence in 1980. He was a close ally of Dr. Robert Mugabe, who, as prime minister, held real power in the country after independence. Banana stood down as president in 1987 when the constitution was changed and Mugabe became executive president. Since then he has taught theology at the University of Zimbabwe, but was suspended from his university position because of the allegations against him. The judgment against Banana could be highly embarrassing to President Mugabe, who in recent years has made a number of speeches condemning homosexuality. Mugabe, who says he is a Christian, also has reportedly been under pressure to cancel the World Council of Churches' Assembly because of the workshops and possible demonstrations on behalf of homosexual rights. |
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