One of the three MDC-Alliance officials who was allegedly
abducted recently comes from a village near where they claim to have been
dumped by their abductors, undermining claims that they did not know where they
were, investigations have revealed.
This was one of the inconsistencies unearthed by
investigations that Government instituted into the matter, Home Affairs and
Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has said.
Investigations are continuing with all possibilities being
considered.
Yesterday, President Mnangagwa assured the Political Actors
Dialogue (Polad) extraordinary executive plenary meeting that Government will
leave no stone unturned on the alleged abductions of Harare West MP Joana
Mamombe, Netsai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiri, and reiterated promises that
reports of the findings will be made public.
“I would like to commend Polad through the Legislative
Agenda and Governance Subcommittee for speaking out about the alleged
abductions. Please rest assured that Government is investigating the reports
and the findings will be made public,” said President Mnangagwa.
Claims that the MDC-Alliance officials were abducted could
not be dismissed outright, but there are glaring inconsistencies between their
account of events and results of the investigations conducted so far, Minister
Kazembe said.
Government insists it does not permit any of its
institutions and agencies to use torture and forced disappearance or
abductions.
While giving an update yesterday concerning ongoing
investigations into the alleged abduction and torture of the MDC-A activists,
Minister Kazembe said investigators could not conclusively dismiss the three’s
claims but it was critical to note that there were inconsistencies between
their account of events and what has been found by security details.
The women were allegedly abducted on May 13 after taking
part in a demonstration in Warren Park, Harare, which is now the subject of a
criminal court case.
The combined multi-agency investigation underway seeks to
establish whether the alleged kidnapping did occur, and to identify the alleged
perpetrators, whether purporting to act on behalf of Government or other forces
and bring them to justice. Minister Kazembe emphasised that the investigation
does not interfere with a separate investigation and due process which is
ongoing concerning the three’s alleged participation in an illegal
demonstration in Warren Park.
The Government said given the maze of lack of clarity
between fact and fiction, it should not be forgotten that the opposition in
Zimbabwe was in the habit of staging fake abductions and disappearances ahead
of international events to force Zimbabwe onto the agendas in a negative way.
“There was the President’s bilateral meeting with President
Nyusi of Mozambique and the follow-up SADC Troika Summit which took place in
Harare under the President’s Chairmanship at the time of these allegations.
There was also the impending re-engagement between Zimbabwe and the European
Union which might have been targeted by this negativity,” he said.
Investigations, according to the Minister, indicate that
there is a ten-month American scholarship on offer for 10 MDC-A youth assembly
candidates in the USA and the three are desperate to go hence they sought
sympathy so as to benefit from the scholarship.
Minister Kazembe said the Government was determined to get
to the bottom of this saga, to expose it if it is fake and to ensure that it
will not happen again.
“Should these allegations turn out to be true, the
Government of Zimbabwe is equally determined to bring the culprits to justice.
Indeed the truth will speak for itself ultimately.”
The investigation continues.
Meanwhile, Mamombe, Chimbiru and Marova are on bail for
allegedly participating in the illegal demonstration with intent to promote
public violence. The State on Wednesday gave notice of its intention to seek
variations of their bail conditions. The State yesterday wished to apply for
the three to surrender their passports in addition to the other standing bail
conditions so there was no chance they could skip the country.
However, the matter was postponed to Monday next week after
their lawyer Mr Jeremiah Bhamu successfully sought for a postponement on the
basis that he needed time to take full instructions from his clients. Herald
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