Zimbabwe: MDC-T Cry Foul Over Arrests of Provincial and District Officials

The MDC-T has blasted the police in Gwanda for arresting its officials who were attending a party workshop over the weekend.

The six officials who were arrested on Saturday in Gwanda, Matebeleland South were released from custody on Monday. No charges were laid against them.

On Saturday, police said the provincial and district leaders were holding an ‘illegal’ training workshop. A further 14 members who were arrested in Beitbridge carrying out the same exercise, appeared in court on Monday. The State opposed bail.

Nelson Chamisa, MDC-T National Organising Secretary, said that the police were policing the MDC.

‘They want to supervise us selling our party cards. They are now our observers,’ Chamisa said. Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme said it was clear the arrests were part of a scheme by the police to disturb MDC programs.

‘The police are failing to interpret their own laws. The MDC people were having private workshops and inside their party offices and they didn’t need to notify the police.

‘You only need to notify the authorities when you are going to have a public rally, so in this instance it was a private workshop,’ Saungweme said. The MDC has accused ZANU PF of waging war against its members.

Last month the party said it will take up the matter with the party principals, the Southern African Development Community mediator Jacob Zuma, as well as the African Union. Party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora said ZANU PF wanted to cow them, but that they will not relent until free and fair elections are held.

‘We will take the matter to the political party principals and SADC. We hold ZANU PF accountable for anything that happens to our people because one of its hard core factions is working to destabilise the coalition government,’ Mwonzora.