By Paul Katanda 

AWARD winning author, Tsitsi Dangarembga Friday complained that coming to court was costing her financially and cannot wait for the verdict in her incitement case to be handed down.

She said this after her judgement day was been pushed to September 29.

The presiding magistrate Babra Mateko failed to give the judgement in the absence of her co-accused Julie Barnes who was said to be out of the country.

Their lawyer Chris Mhike had requested the court to deliver the ruling in Barnes’ absence but the State declined inisisting on issuance of an arrest warrant against Barnes.

Mhike said Barnes had failed to get a quick flight back home.

Dangarembga said she is dying to hear the verdict.

“Well l don’t know what the verdict is, if l knew what the verdict was and it was an acquittal, l could have preferred it today,” said Dangarembga.

She also said that she is happy to have got a chance to do what she needs to do in the coming days before the judgement day arrives in case she gets convicted.

“There are financial implications because l have to travel a lot, so it means sometimes l need to travel from abroad to Zimbabwe,” she added.

“l am citizen of Zimbabwe and l am part of the process of becoming whatever the country is going to become.”

The duo are facing charges of inciting public violence following a peaceful demonstration they did during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.