WRONGFULLY ACCUSED: THE PAINFUL STORY OF NAMATAI KWEKWEZA

Sometimes, people go to jail for crimes they did not commit. This is a very big problem. It is unfair and painful. It can happen to anyone. Many innocent people have been arrested because of mistakes, lies, or bad investigations. Some people even go to prison because their lawyers did not defend them well. This is not fair, but it happens often.

One reason people are wrongly accused is mistaken identity. This happens when someone looks like a real suspect. Sometimes, a witness may tell the police the wrong person. In other cases, people lie in court and say things that are not true. There are also cases where the police or prosecutors only focus on one suspect and ignore other facts. When this happens, an innocent person suffers.

This is what happened to a well-known human rights activist in Zimbabwe. Her name is Namatai Kwekweza. She fights for democracy and people’s rights. Because of this, she has faced many problems with the police before. Even though she works hard for justice, she was arrested unfairly.

On 1 August, police took Kwekweza from a flight at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare. She was going to Victoria Falls, but she never got there. The police said she was part of a protest that happened earlier. They also arrested three other pro-democracy activists: Robson Chere, Samuel Gwenzi, and Vusumuzi Moyo.

The government said these people were part of protests to free an opposition leader named Jameson Timba and 78 others. The state said the protest caused public disorder near the court. Timba and the others had been arrested while celebrating Youth Day on 16 June in Avondale, Harare. The government has been arresting many activists before a big political event, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit, on 17 August in Harare.

One of the arrested activists, Robson Chere, was tortured badly. Reports say he suffered kidney damage. The police charged all four activists under a law that punishes disorderly conduct. They said Kwekweza and the others protested at the court on 27 June. They also said they caused trouble and disturbed peace.

But the truth is different. New evidence proves Kwekweza was not even in Harare when the protest happened. Travel records show that she left Zimbabwe for South Africa on 23 June 2024. She flew with Airlink. She only came back to Zimbabwe on 28 June 2024, flying with Fastjet. This means she was not even in the country when the protest happened. No person can be in two places at the same time. This makes it very clear that she could not have committed this crime.

Even with this clear proof, Kwekweza is still suffering. Her arrest has caused her a lot of pain. She has lost her freedom. She is going through emotional pain. She also has to pay legal fees and face public shame. Many innocent people go through this, and it is very unfair.

In a good legal system, people are innocent until they are proven guilty. But in Zimbabwe, it seems different. People are treated as guilty first, and they must prove they are innocent. This is not right. A fair system must protect people’s rights.

Another activist, Job Sikhala, faced the same problem. He was arrested unfairly and treated badly. His case was also an example of injustice. The law should work for all people, not just those in power.

The case of Namatai Kwekweza shows that justice is weak in Zimbabwe. It proves that anyone can be wrongly accused. It also reminds us why the law must protect people. If innocent people continue to suffer, no one will feel safe. A fair legal system must be built on truth, not lies. Justice must be for everyone. No one should suffer for a crime they did not commit.