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	Ncube Pictures 'Concocted' ' Lawyer The Zimbabwean July 28, 2007 http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/viewinfo.cfm?linkcategoryid=3&linkid=8&id=5384 Zimbabwe — The authenticity of images purporting to show sex romps between Archbishop Pius Ncube and Rosemary Sibanda shown repeatedly on national television and in government newspapers last week is being questioned. Ncube's lawyers believe the pictures were computer generated, as modern technology makes this simple and effective. Doctored pictures of Mugabe himself, such as the one above, have been doing the rounds on the internet for years. We can also reveal that the 'private investigator', claimed by the state to be a railway technician, is actually employed in the 'Special Branch' of the CIO. Confusion also surrounds the identity of the plaintiff, initially said to be a railway worker. It has now emerged that he is a serving soldier in the ZNA on secondment to the National Railways and that he was never married to Rosemary Sibanda. Archbishop Pius Ncube stood confidently in the pulpit of his 4,000'seat St Mary's Cathedral last Sunday. Only a few hundred worshippers occupied the maroon seats on the main floor of the St Mary's Parish in central Bulawayo. Sections of the neatly arranged sanctuary were roped off so congregants would sit near the front of the church. The ceiling rose majestically over two almost empty balconies. Archbishop Ncube's aides sat to his right. But gone were a small portion of his most faithful followers, convinced by allegations of the prelate's alleged infidelity with a church secretary. They had helped Ncube build the church into a flock of 12,000 that caught the attention of even the President of Zimbabwe. The hundreds who attended Sunday Mass said they would stand by the Archbishop as the church haemorrhaged members after the scandal broke. The parishioners who attended Sunday Mass said they believed Archbishop Ncube when he denied the allegations of adultery saying his accusers were under "demonic influence." The Archbishop delivered his sermon with raw passion. A parish nun later told The Zimbabwean Ncube was a spiritual elder. "Its all false. His faith is being put to the test by the devil," she said. She said the sense of community was a critical part of the success of St Mary's Cathedral that had gained a national reputation for combining liturgical arts, such as dance and drama, with cutting'edge social ministry. His lawyer Nicholas Mathonsi told The Zimbabwean the Archbishop was "sick, very, very sick" of the false allegations brought against him. "The Archbishop has been tried and found guilty in the state media and there is absolutely no prospect of a fair trial," said Mathonsi. He said at least 12 people, mainly reporters for state newspapers and television bussed from Harare, including ZBC's burly Rueben Barwe, had curiously accompanied court officials to serve papers on the Archbishop on July 16, betraying that this was a "a big operation that involved the State." * Press freedom watchdogs and civic groups have roundly condemned the State media's role in the affair. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe chapter said the appalling coverage given the Ncube story by the State media reinforced concerns that these outlets were being used as political weapons against perceived enemies of the Mugabe regime. Bulawayo'based pressure group Bulawayo Agenda slammed the publication of pornographic pictures in public newspapers read by young and old alike. The Solidarity Peace Trust said the Zimbabwean State was attempting to bring into disrepute the reputation and moral standing of the Archbishop. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights described the move as a diversionary tactic aimed at deflecting attention from Zimbabwe's unprecedented economic meltdown. ZimRights said the State media had tried and sentenced Ncube even before he has appeared in court.
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