The High Court has overturned and set aside the conviction of Timothy Chiminya, a traditional leader who refers to himself as King Munhumutapa, after he was jailed for allegedly undermining the authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In a statement, ZLHR said: “The High Court has overturned and set aside the conviction of Timothy Chiminya, a traditional leader, who refers himself to, as King Munhumutapa, who had been convicted & sentenced to serve 10 months in jail, for allegedly undermining authority of or insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.”
ZLHR said Chiminya “was convicted by Harare Magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai on 10 November 2025 and sentenced on 13 November 2025 to serve jail time after he stood trial following his arrest on 16 December 2024 in Harare, where he was charged with undermining the authority of the President in contravention of section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).”
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According to ZLHR, prosecutors had alleged during trial at the Harare Magistrates Court that Chiminya “insulted the authority of the President by purporting to appoint traditional Chiefs, which is a preserve for the President,” and that he “was also accused of purporting to dethrone some traditional chiefs in Zimbabwe.”
However, ZLHR said that on Friday 20 February 2026, High Court judges Benjamin Chikowero and Maxwell Takuva “quashed both his conviction & sentence and acquitted Chiminya after upholding his appeal against Magistrate Kuhudzai’s decision.”
Chiminya was represented by Gift Mtisi of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
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