Zimbabwean journalist Faith Zaba was granted bail on Friday, several days after her arrest over a satirical piece critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The 55-year-old editor of the Zimbabwe Independent was released on a $200 bail and ordered to surrender her passport to the magistrate’s court in Harare, the country’s capital.
Zaba was detained on Tuesday, charged with undermining the authority of the president. Prosecutors claimed her article titled “When you become mafia state” contained falsehoods intended to incite hostility towards Mnangagwa.
A nationwide power outage on Thursday delayed the court’s ruling, forcing Zaba to spend an additional night in custody.
Magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe stated that the bail conditions — including Zaba’s weekly reporting to the police every Friday — alleviated the state’s concerns.
She is expected to be formally released later on Friday.
Human rights organisations have condemned the case, which is due to be heard on 29 July, describing it as part of a broader crackdown on political opposition and calling for the charges to be dropped unconditionally.
Critics have accused Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party, in power since independence in 1980, of suppressing democracy and dissent.
Mnangagwa took power following a military-backed coup in 2017 that ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe. His administration has struggled with economic collapse, hyperinflation, high unemployment, and corruption allegations.
