ZIMSPHERE
BULAWAYO – A 24-year-old final-year Civil and Water Engineering student at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo, Tanaka Ryan Ziso, is facing charges for posting tribalistic rants against the Ndebele people on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.
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| Tanaka Ryan Ziso |
As reported by The Chronicle, Ziso appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Maxwell Ncube, where he was remanded in custody until 2 April 2024. The charges brought against him are causing offence to persons of a particular race.
The prosecution, led by Dorcas Maphosa, stated that Ziso committed the offence on 13 March 2024.
He allegedly posted demeaning sentiments against the Ndebele people, using offensive language. A subsequent post on 14 March 2024 further escalated the tensions.
The matter was reported by Thabani Mpofu, the director of communication and marketing at NUST. Maphosa added that printed hard copies of Ziso's posts could be produced in court as evidence.
According to the Prevention of Discrimination Act (Chapter 8:16), any person who contravenes the act is liable to a fine not exceeding level seven (USD$400 or the equivalent in Zimbabwe Dollars) or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or both.
However, if Ziso is charged under the Cyber & Data Protection Act (Chapter 12:07), the punishment could be more severe.
The act stipulates a fine not exceeding level 14 (USD$5,000 or the Zimbabwe Dollar equivalent) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or both.
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