Armed police and state security agents raided the home of
investigative journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo on Thursday, on the eve
of planned demonstrations against government corruption.
The demonstrations are being organised by civic society and
the opposition, but journalists have been caught in crossfire. The Zimbabwean
government says the demonstrations are an attempt to overthrow a democratically
elected regime.
According to Mathuthu, he was not at home when the house
was raided. Instead, his sister was taken into custody.
“They raided my house, found me absent and they gave my
sister an ultimatum: get Mduduzi here, or we will take you. They took her. She
has no journalistic or political bone in her,” he said.
A TimesLIVE journalist was outside the house and witnessed
the police raid.
An arrest warrant issued for Mathuthu reads that he’s
suspected of “organising and advocating for illegal demonstrations against the
government of Zimbabwe”.
The warrant demands that all cameras, phones and computers
that the state suspects he was using to “persuade Zimbabweans to engage in
public violence” should be forfeited.
Mathuthu and another journalist Hopewell Chin’ono were
instrumental in a recent exposé of corruption involving Covid-19 personal
protective equipment (PPE), which sucked in members of the first family.
Chin’ono is in remand custody facing charges under the Criminal Law
(Codification and Reform) Act — the same act it appears Mathuthu is suspected
under.
During the week leading to Friday's planned demonstrations,
at least 15 opposition activists have gone into hiding after the state revealed
that they were wanted for questioning.
One of them, legislator Job Sikhala, posted a video urging
people to stand up to the regime. His post was from an undisclosed location.
However, some activists have been arrested and allegedly
tortured.
Because of the increased onslaught on freedom of
expression, Peter Hain, a former British cabinet minister, pleaded with the UK
government to increase targeted sanctions on politicians and security chiefs in
Zimbabwe.
“Opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume was arrested and youth
leader Takunda Madzana abducted and tortured by state security agents on July
26,” said Hain.
“As well as rampant corruption, there is a pattern of
ongoing human rights violations under cover of the Covid-19 crackdown. Can the
government update its sanctions to cover more Zimbabwe ministers and security
chiefs?”
On the ground, many Zimbabweans said they would not take
part in demonstrations. Nonetheless, by 2pm on Thursday in major towns and
cities, soldiers and the police instructed businesses to close and people go
home.
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