Police disrupt Tekere meeting

By Henry Makiwa
4 October 2007

Police in Mutare on Friday disrupted a public meeting organised by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) to discuss the forthcoming elections, after veteran politician Edgar Tekere attacked Robert Mugabe's human rights record.

Security agents stormed the public meeting venue ordering everyone out and accusing organisers of the meeting of abusing the platform to “attack the person of the President”.
Tekere launched a blistering attack on Mugabe for the constant harassment of opposition and for “penning a horrific account of our country’s modern history”.

The fiery former Zanu PF stalwart on Thursday confirmed that security personnel had disrupted the meeting but said he was not intimidated by such actions.

Tekere said: “I chronicled just a few of the many atrocities that Mugabe has committed on this country and that one day he and his lieutenants such as (army chief Constantine) Chiwenga and (police head Augustine) Chihuri will have to account for.”

He went on to say, “I noted the recent assaults on Grace Kwinje, Sekai Holland and Morgan Tsvangirai; the disappearance of Rashiwe Guzha and the Gukurahundi massacre as events that will scar the annals of our history. My speech and that of Bishop Patrick Mutume, who gave an account of Gukurahundi survivors’, made the police halt proceedings because Mugabe does not want the public to know the truth.”

According to the online publication zimbabwejournalists.com, the ZimRights public meeting was held under the topic: "Will the 2008 harmonised elections be the panacea to the Zimbabwe Crisis?"
The publication quoted ZimRights regional co-ordinator Reverend Stephen Maengamhuru, confirming that the police had stopped their meeting even though it had been earlier cleared to go ahead.

Rev Maengamhuru told zimbabwejournalists.com: "We submitted an application and the police responded and told us to stick to the agenda. They said they would send their officers who would be empowered to intervene or stop and disperse people if the meeting digressed."

Rev Maengamhuru said he will soon organise another such meeting.
The meeting drew close to 150 people, mostly from the civil society, intellectuals, students and political activists, mainly from the opposition MDC and smaller parties such as Zanu (Ndonga).