Journalist assaulted by army commander’s wife
By Violet Gonda
2 August 2007

Jocelyn Chiwenga, the wife of the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, assaulted award winning photojournalist Tsvangirai Mukwazhi at Makro Wholesalers in Harare on Wednesday. Mukwazhi was attacked while covering a tour of supermarkets by MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai, who was assessing the impact of the government’s price control war.

The journalist said the group was at the Makro Braeside store when they bumped into Chiwenga, who was doing her own shopping, accompanied by a uniformed soldier. “She started uttering a lot of obscene words towards the MDC delegation, which included President Tsvangirai,” Mukwazhi said.
Speaking on SW Radio Africa on Thursday the army commander’s wife began ranting. An irate Chiwenga denied the reports and threatened to sue everyone, including this reporter. She said: “People are now at war with me including yourself. We are going to pick you up baby!” She then went on to use a string of four letter words.

She allegedly ordered security guards at Makro to close the doors so that she could beat and arrest the opposition leader and his delegation. Many people were surprised to hear that Makro complied. Mukwazhi said it was shocking to see the store officials standing by while Chiwenga was abusing people. He said: “I am also baffled at how the officials, the workers from Makro literally took orders and accepted whatever she was saying. I don’t get the logic behind it.”
The photojournalist was left behind when people tried to rush out of the store. He said: “Then she came to me and grabbed my t-shirt and demanded that I surrender my camera. I refused and she started saying I am a sell-out.” The journalist said Chiwenga went on to slap him on the face after he failed to identify her correctly.

This is not the first time that General Constantine Chiwenga’s wife has hit the headlines. She assaulted former Daily News legal advisor Gugulethu Moyo in 2003. Moyo was beaten at Glen View police station where she had gone to defend her client another photojournalist, who had been arrested while covering an opposition demonstration.

Meanwhile the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has called for the arrest of Chiwenga. The coalition said in a statement: “Chiwenga’s wings must be clipped and refrained from inflicting terror to civilians with impunity. Everyone must be equal under the law irrespective of their social, political and economic standing in the society. We therefore call upon the police to execute their professional duties and arrest Chiwenga on charges of public violence. The police have got a constitutional duty to protect civilians from law breakers like Jocelyn Chiwenga.”