ZANU PF councillor victimises Crisis Coalition team

By Alex Bell
01 March 2010

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has accused a ZANU PF councillor of victimisation after an outreach meeting conducted by the pressure group was disrupted by ZANU PF youths last week.

Crisis Coalition Intern Edwin Sithole, and Youth Committee Members Tichaona Masiyambiri and Oscar Dhliwayo were last week Wednesday threatened, interrogated and harassed by Mr. Sanyika, the ZANU PF councillor for Nhekiwa ward in Uzumba district. According to the Crisis Coalition, the ZANU PF official and a group of youths disrupted the outreach meeting saying it had not been sanctioned by the party.

The three Crisis Coalition officials were then ordered to leave the community and take back all T-shirts and other materials that had been distributed. The group also reported that ZANU PF youths were harassing villagers in the area prior to the meeting trying to discourage them from attending.

The outreach meeting was held under the ‘Voice up Campaign,’ aimed at educating the public on the importance of a people-driven constitution, as well as to inform them about the constitution reform process underway across the country.

Participants at last week’s disrupted meeting in Uzumba district said that the process was already ‘monopolised by political parties,’ with seven ZANU PF members ‘selected’ as ward representatives at a closed meeting recently. It is alleged that the seven are moving around the area campaigning for the implementation of the ZANU PF preferred Kariba Draft.