Mbare- A Harare vendor spent 57 days in prison after a dispute over filthy public toilets in Mbare led to charges of criminal nuisance and allegedly insulting President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Anashe Mundandi, 29, was arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers at the Mbare bus terminus on December 1, 2025. Prosecutors alleged he verbally accosted a City of Harare employee cleaning a toilet, claiming the worker was incompetent and that “there were other people who could execute the task better.”

The state further charged that during the argument, Mundandi called President Mnangagwa “an insignificant person.”

After being denied bail by Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi on December 10, Mundandi remained in custody until January 27, 2026. His release was secured by lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) after High Court Judge Justice Gibson Mandazi overturned the bail denial. Mundandi was granted $100 bail under strict conditions, including weekly police reporting.

His trial began on January 23, with two state witnesses testifying. A ruling on his application for discharge is expected on February 26.

The case highlights tensions over public service delivery and the application of bail laws. It occurs amid reported concerns by Prosecutor-General Loice Matanda-Moyo over severe prison overcrowding and calls for prosecutorial restraint in opposing bail.