President Emmerson Mnangagwa and top Zanu PF officials intervened after ruling party members in Mashonaland Central were allegedly brutalised by police in a case that has revealed deepening factionalism in the ruling party.
Fifteen police officers from Bindura appeared in court last
week charged with violence after they allegedly disrupted a Zanu PF meeting at
Mupandira Business Centre in Musana.
The police officers, who have since been suspended from work,
were granted $5 000 bail each, but fresh details show that the cops’ arrest
followed a high level meeting that involved Mnangagwa.
According to sources close to the case, all police officers
from the station who were on duty, including the officer-in-charge identified
as Inspector Phiri were summoned to Harare on October 10.
They were expected to explain to police
commissioner-general Godwin Matanga what had happened on October 5 leading to
the skirmishes.
The police officers were reportedly summoned to State House
on October 11 to explain to Mnangagwa what happened.
Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe and Bindura South MP
Remigio Matangira, as well as scores of Zanu PF supporters from Bindura were at
State House.
Zanu PF supporters told Mnangagwa that the police officers
unleashed dogs on them and used teargas to disrupt the meeting.
“After some time, Kazembe, Matangira, Matanga, Phiri and
other top cops went into a private meeting with Mnangagwa,” a well-placed
source disclosed.
Kazembe, who is also the Zanu PF Mashonaland Central
provincial chairman, said he could not disclose what happened at the meeting
with Mnangagwa.
“I cannot discuss with newspapers a meeting we had with the
president,’” Kazembe said.
Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba referred questions
to secretary for presidential communications Regis Chikowore.
Chikowore was not picking calls yesterday and also did not
respond to questions sent to him via WhatsApp.
Zanu PF officials in Mashonaland Central province said the
police officers had become pawns in the ruling party’s factional wars.
They said trouble started when a gang, which included Zanu
PF members attacked three police officers, who wanted to arrest a suspect over
an assault case.
“The group, which survives by chopping and selling
firewood, became violent. They demanded that the police leave their colleague
alone and soon turned violent,” a witness said.
“The police officer was attacked by over 50 youths and is
partially blind now.
“After the attack, the police went to the shopping centre
looking for the suspects.
“Kabasa (the police officer who was assaulted) managed to
identify one of them but before the police arrested him, the youths started
throwing stones at the law enforcement agents.
“The police were forced to fire teargas in self-defence and
eventually managed to round up people and arrested eight.
“The Zanu PF meeting was held at some distance from the
shopping centre where the violence took place.”
The eight, who were arrested appeared in court on October 6
charged with obstruction of justice. They are out on $4 000 bail each.
Matangira allegedly stormed the police station accusing the
police officers of being sent by Kazembe to assault party members that were taking
part in district elections so that he could rig the polls.
He allegedly claimed the police had arrested a Zanu PF
district chairperson, who was contesting in the polls.
Kazembe has been accused of manipulating district
structures in a bid to ensure his bid to retain the chairperson’s post is
successful.
The Home Affairs minister is being challenged by
businessman Tafadzwa Musarara.
Kazembe has also been accused of abusing the police in his
political wars and is said to have demanded that charges against the Zanu PF
supporters in Bindura must be dropped.
“We are shocked that the minister ordered the police to
drop charges against his party officials.
“The law should not be applied selectively, if it was MDC,
the cops would not have been detained or transferred as in this case. Zanu PF
should change their mafia methods,” MDC Alliance chairperson for Mashonaland
Central, George Gwara said.
Zanu PF Mashonaland Central provincial spokesperson Alfred
Mafunga said he was in Kariba and could only comment when he returned to the
province. Standard
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