SOME of the people linked to the foiled July 31 mass
demonstrations claimed yesterday that they were still being trailed by
suspected State security agents despite being recently cleared by the police,
the Daily News reports.
However, police said yesterday that they had not received
any reports of unlawful surveillance or harassment from the complainants — who
include leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and the Amalgamated
Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz).
This comes as authorities have consistently rejected claims
that they are targeting government critics — instead blaming their detractors
for allegedly fomenting anarchy in the country and working with foreigners to
effect regime change.
It also comes as the ruling Zanu PF has said it is ready
and happy to engage with the opposition to end the country’s myriad challenges.
However, and as relative calm appears to take hold in the
country following recent political tensions over the thwarted July 31
anti-government demos, ZCTU president Peter Mutasa and his Artuz counterpart
Obert Masaraure say they are still being trailed by suspected State agents.
“The government is not softening its stance at all. We had
no case to answer in the first place, and the government knows that. It simply
wanted to block the July 31 protests by whatever means.
“We are not off the hook and are still being stalked by
State agents. They visit our homes in unmarked cars.
“The government has only changed the agents from police to
the ferret squad (a shadowy group of suspected State security agents). We are
not safe. They want to abduct, harm or kill us,” Mutasa told the Daily News.
On his part, Masaraure said police had cleared them because
they should never have been on the list of wanted people in the first place.
He also claimed that State security agents had visited his
home last week looking for him.
“It is clear that we were never wanted by the official
police force of Zimbabwe. We didn’t commit any crime which could have warranted
the law enforcers to arrest us.
“The shadowy ferret group wanted to cover its back before
abducting and torturing us. They would obviously turn us over to the police and
force them to prefer charges against us.
“By the way, they did this to me in the past … they are now
deploying their shadowy ferret. On 7 September at around 1520hrs, the same team
was at my house in a black unmarked Toyota Wish.
“We are being hunted by this criminal outfit,” the
outspoken Masaraure told the Daily News.
However, national police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said
yesterday that the two unionists were yet to make a report of the alleged
harassment by suspected State security agents.
In the run-up to the foiled July 31 mass demos, police put
Mutasa and Masaraure among a list of people they wanted to question.
MDC vice national chairperson Job “Wiwa” Sikhala; activist
Makomborero Haruzivishe; Godfrey Kurauone; MDC youth secretary general Ostallos
Siziba; Tajamuka/Sesijikile leader Promise Mkwananzi; former Harare councillor
Denford Ngadziore; Allan Moyo; MDC-Alliance youth leader Obey Sithole; expelled
Zanu PF youth leader Godfrey Tsenengamu; another ex-Zanu PF youth leader Jimmy
Kunaka; Artuz secretary-general Robson Chere and MDC Alliance youth
spokesperson Stephen Chuma were also on the wanted list.
Tsenengamu is yet to emerge from his hide-out despite most
of those who had been placed on the list now going about their normal business.
Last month, in what appeared to be a significant change of
tack, Tsenengamu and Masaraure appealed to authorities to end the crackdown on
critics and hold national dialogue.
“It is very unfortunate that authorities have decided to
descend heavily on citizens for speaking out. I thought they would engage with
citizens and hear out their concerns. But sadly we are being treated like
terrorists.
“I think the authorities must reconsider their position on
dissenting voices. That is the only sustainable way to address this.
“In the same way that authorities have re-engaged and
engaged with the international community and victims of the Gukurahundi
disturbances in order to find common ground, they must also consider engaging
with all,” Tsenengamu told the Daily News from his hideout then.
The forthright former Zanu PF bigwig — who now leads the
anti-corruption pressure group, the Front for Economic Emancipation (FEE) — had
previously warned that the government still faced a major uprising by fed up
Zimbabweans despite foiling the July 31 protests.
On July 31, opposition and pro-democracy groups had planned
to stage mass demos against the country’s worsening political and economic
crises, but were stopped by authorities who deployed hordes of security forces
throughout the country.
Rights groups have claimed that dozens of opposition
figures and activists have been tortured and assaulted in a retributive
exercise by suspected security agents.
The government has refuted the allegations — claiming
instead that the opposition is allegedly working with foreigners to destabilise
the country.
The country’s deepening crises have since attracted the
attention of both South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and the international
community.
Last week, Ramaphosa sent a high-powered delegation of the
ruling African National Congress (ANC) to Harare, to meet Zanu PF to find ways
of assisting local authorities to end the country’s long-running crises.
The two former liberation movements were described as
having been very candid and robust with each other in their heart-to-heart dialogue, which was held at the Zanu
PF headquarters in Harare.
Briefing the media, ANC secretary general Ace Magashule
said the meeting had progressed well as both parties were “frank with each
other”.
“We had very frank, open and robust discussions and we
committed ourselves to introspection and renewal of our values.
“We have agreed that as the ANC, we came here to engage
with Zanu PF and yes we have agreed that we will come back to meet other
stakeholders or whoever you refer to …
so that we understand and comprehend the challenges.
“We have received requests from Transform Zimbabwe
political party, the United States ambassador, Simba
Makoni, Zapu and the MDC Alliance … we agreed with Zanu PF
that it was important that we meet them .
“So we are going to arrange for our coming back to meet
them,” Magashule said.
The meeting came as calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa
to hold national talks with all key local stakeholders have now reached a
crescendo — in the wake of Zimbabwe’s deepening political and economic crises.
Daily News
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