The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC has approached the High Court
with an urgent application seeking an order to interdict Home Affairs minister
Cain Mathema, Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and Officer Commanding
Police Harare Central District from threatening the party’s employees and
interfering with the opposition party’s business at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai
House in Harare.
This came after police on Monday shut down the party’s
headquarters in the wake of the discovery of 210 riot police and 41 municipal
police helmets in a basement of a city building.
However, the opposition party accused police of
deliberately planting the riot police gear to justify a crackdown on government
critics.
Early Monday morning, armed police cordoned off the
building and Robinson House, where the helmets were allegedly recovered on
Saturday afternoon, forcing the MDC workers and several tenants to abandon
their offices.
The police linked the helmets to possible criminal
activities.
But it later turned out that the helmets had been sold by
the police through ABC Auctions to businessman Mitchel Chibwe, who was
questioned in the company of his lawyer Kudzai Rangarirai.
NewsDay understands police also demanded that Chibwe
produce the receipts of the helmets which were never reported stolen or missing
from police vaults.
MDC secretary-general Chalton Hwende deposed to an
affidavit which forms part of the application urging the court to intervene and
protect the interest of the opposition party together with its employees and
tenants by granting an interdict against the country’s law enforcement agents.
“This is an urgent chambers application for an interdict,
stopping respondents (Mathema, Matanga and the Officer Commanding) and anyone
acting through them, directly or indirectly from barricading applicant’s (MDC)
premises at number 44 Nelson Mandela Avenue, interrogating and intimidating
applicant’s employees, visitors and tenants as well as interfering with
applicant’s business at the premises,” Hwende said.
He said the presence of the police and their actions had
adversely impacted on the day-to-day running of the party’s business as well as
a private business, being a hair salon which is housed at the same building.
Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment