Images of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe still litter towns after last month's election PIC: Reuters
Images of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe still litter towns after last month's disputed elections PIC: Reuters

A Zimbabwean man has appeared in court for using a picture of President Robert Mugabe as toilet paper.

According to local reports, Takura Mufumsi was charged after he allegedly improvised with a poster of the president when he was caught short at a public convenience in the town of Masvingo.

When he found there was no toilet roll in the loo, the 26-year-old looked around for an alternative, the court heard.

He saw an election campaign poster of Mugabe still plastered on a wall of the Landmark Bar and tore it down to use it.

But he failed to reckon on any Mugabe loyalists in the vicinity. One man, Osman Musengi, who was also in the bathroom at the time, carried out a citizen's arrest on Mufumsi.

He dragged him to a local police station where Mufumsi was charged with violating the Electoral Act and destroying political party material. Mufumsi appeared before the local magistrate.

He looked likely to escape punishment. Magistrate Tinashe Ndokera remanded the case indefinitely after the authorities failed to present a witness to testify against him.

Mugabe won another five-year term in July after his Zanu-PF party scooped two-thirds of votes cast in elections branded a "huge fraud" by opponent Morgan Tsvangirai.

The European Union is reviewing relations with the African country amid "serious concerns" about the results. Speaking at his inauguration, Mugabe told cheering followers that his party had delivered "democracy on a plate".

European Union Elections Zimbabwe