OPPOSITION Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume was yesterday arrested for defying a police directive which barred him from conducting a clean-up exercise in Mbare, Harare.
Ngarivhume last night confirmed his arrest.
“I was arrested and detained before I was released without
charge. Police confiscated the equipment we were using. I was warned against
conducting similar clean-up exercises in the future,” he told NewsDay.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul
Nyathi said he had not yet been apprised about the issue as it was being
managed at lower administrative structures.
Police on Monday blocked Ngarivhume’s 31st July Movement
from conducting the clean-up campaign, saying the cleaning exercise had turned
into a political campaign in the past.
Ngarivhume had sought clearance from the police to carry
out the clean-up exercise between Matapi and Matererini Flats yesterday, as
well as at the vegetable market on May 7, 2021 between 10am and 2pm, but police
told him to leave the task to City of Harare.
Before his arrest, Ngarivhume told NewsDay that he was
determined to continue with the clean-up exercise as he had rights to do so as
enshrined in the Constitution. “It is our right to live in a clean
environment,” Ngarivhume said.
“There is no politics on cleanliness. We can’t be
responsible citizens who stay in filthy places. It is not only those two areas
which we want to clean, but there are several other places that need to be
cleaned in this high-density suburb of Mbare. We are in the midst of the pandemic
and we need clean environments to stay safe from the virus.
“We will participate during the national clean up exercise
on Friday this week, but one day per month is not enough. People dump rubbish
each day hence we can’t wait for one day of every month to clean our
environment. Cleaning should be done on a daily basis.”
He said he was briefly arrested last week and police held
the two trucks he had hired for the exercise. Newsday
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