A Chitungwiza man has appeared in court accused of mobilising people to participate in a planned demonstration against the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 through WhatsApp messages and the distribution of thousands of protest fliers.
Joelson Mugari, 51, appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court charged with incitement to participate in a gathering with the intent to promote public violence.
The State alleges that on May 29, 2026, police received information from a whistleblower that Mugari and other members of a WhatsApp group called "United Opposition Against CAB3" were planning a demonstration targeting Parliament over the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3.
According to prosecutors, the demonstration was scheduled for June 8, 2026, at the Parliament of Zimbabwe in Mt Hampden. Members of the group allegedly encouraged one another to circulate messages promoting the protest across various social media platforms.
The State further alleges that Mugari coordinated mobilisation activities under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA), including arranging for the printing of protest fliers.
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About 45,000 fliers were allegedly produced, calling on "Zimbabweans from all walks of life" to unite against what they described as the "molestation of our Constitution."
The fliers also rejected the "2030 Agenda" and carried slogans including "No to change of Constitution without referendum," "No to politicisation of traditional leaders," "No to stripping in Parliament," "No to public voting in Parliament," and "Constitution defence by the army." They concluded with a call for citizens to act and included the hashtags #NERA, #TogetherStronger and #StrongerTogether.
According to the State, while the printed material appeared peaceful, separate WhatsApp communications allegedly contained stronger language encouraging confrontation that could incite violence among participants.
Police allegedly acted on a tip-off on June 3, 2026, and recovered 44,600 fliers before the planned demonstration.
Mugari was arrested on July 8, 2026. Police also seized his Samsung Galaxy A14 cellphone, which prosecutors allege contained evidence of his participation in the "United Opposition Against CAB3" WhatsApp group, as well as images of the printed fliers.
He was remanded in custody and is expected to return to court on July 31, 2026.
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