Tsvangirai MDC holds three rallies despite police ban and brutality

By Tererai Karimakqwenda
05 March, 2007

The Tsvangirai MDC report that their supporters defied a police ban on public meetings and rallies and held three separate rallies over the weekend, in Budiriro, Makoni West and Murehwa. In each case police responded by shutting down all the businesses nearby and intimidating rally goers, but in Budiriro armed riot police are reported to have used teargas and baton sticks to assault residents and violently disperse the crowds at Budiriro 4 shopping centre on Sunday. The MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa confirmed that the other rallies were also well attended but again police shut down all nearby shops and intimidated supporters to go home. Chamisa said the party would seek legal remedies and continue to defy the police ban.

According to Chamisa residents and MDC supporters gathered at the Budiriro venue reached a high of about 7,000 by Sunday afternoon. Armed riot police with teargas and baton sticks allegedly pounced on the crowd and began indiscriminately assaulting innocent civilians. The MDC said victims of the police attack included vendors and innocent women with babies on their backs. The police also closed all shops in the suburb and running battles with MDC supporters and local residents followed. The police and a group of soldiers also allegedly went to Munyarari night club, owned by the MDC's treasurer for Harare province Farai Munyarari, and beat up patrons.

Chamisa said the Makoni West rally was addressed by MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai at Chiwetu shopping centre Sunday. The party said the police led by Rusape officer-in-charge only identified as Mai Muchena, threatened villagers at the rally and ordered the shopping centre to close. The MDC said the officer in charge brandished an AK 47 rifle and ordered patrons to go back home.

In Murehwa, the MDC national chairman Isaac Matongo and the national organising secretary Engineer Elias Mudzuri addressed a rally at Rhodes shopping centre also on Sunday. The MDC said about 3 000 people attended and Matongo told the people to be wary of the Zanu PF tactics of using food as a political weapon. This rally was peaceful because according to the MDC, about 100 policemen turned up in full riot gear after the crowd had already dispersed.