The petition came soon after an incident last Friday, where
police officers threw teargas canisters into a kombi along Seke Road in Harare,
which had passengers inside.
Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said
he had not received a report about the incident.
A passenger, who spoke to NewsDay, said: “Four canisters
were fired from the car which was in transit along Seke Road. We were waiting
for transport and we ran in all directions after teargas had been thrown into
the bus. Smoke is still stuck in my throat.”
He said his mask still smelt of tearsmoke. “No one was run
over or hit by cars since the drivers stopped their cars after seeing
commotion, but what surprised me is that there were also other police officers
who were waiting for transport at the scene where teargas was thrown into a
kombi,” he said.
PAZ president Tafadzwa Goliati said: “On Friday, we
received complaints from passengers that commuters, who were coming from work,
were tear-gassed by riot police at Coca-Cola along Seke Road. Today (Monday) in
the morning, we received the same news that at the same place, the police in a
black Honda Fit vehicle teargassed passengers.
“This is dangerous because in the process passengers run
for their lives, and they may end up being hit by cars. Teargassing people
during the COVID-19 era is not only bad, but it is dangerous. COVID-19 is a
respiratory infection, and imagine what teargas will do to weaken the
respiratory system.”
Goliati said the country needed to be freed from such kinds
of torture.
“What they are doing is very wrong and it has no place in a
democratic world. My question is: who is going to be answerable to the injuries
and deaths that might happen as a result of this unbecoming behaviour by our
security forces. Zimbabwe needs to be freed from this kind of torture.”
Last year, seven police officers who teargassed a commuter
omnibus packed with passengers in Harare were arrested. Newsday
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