Bulawayo Agenda officials questioned by police in Gwanda

By Tererai Karimakwenda
08 August 2006

In what the director of the non-governmental organisation described as panicking by the government, 2 officials from Bulawayo Agenda were summoned by the police on Monday and interrogated about the leadership training programme they conducted over the weekend in Gwanda. Agenda director Gordon Moyo told us the police tried to gate-crush the weekend workshop which was meant for Residents Associations and Civic groups. Staff members Linda Mpofu and Sichelesile Ndlovu refused to let them in. Moyo said the police retaliated by sending 5 officers to go grab the 2 ladies on Monday. They were interrogated for more than an hour then later set free with the police saying they will proceed by way of summons.

Moyo said his feeling is that the government is panicking because they are used to enjoying the fact that the people have been “fractionalised” and “factionalised”. He explained how the authorities are now “snivelling like a dog” because the people are coming together and discussing ideas. Asked whether this sharing of ideas will translate into concrete action that can change things Moyo said: “Whenever people come together we witness people power. When we work as lone rangers we do not achieve anything.”

Moyo added: “The government, the police, the CIO and the security officials are all panicking because they know things are not fine in the country. The economy has collapsed and I am of the personal view that as long as we bring people together as a unified force we can achieve anything.”

The Gwanda incident is just one of many recent attempts by the police to make a case without much evidence against civic organisations, church groups, political parties and student organisations. The interrogations have intensified since the MDC began calling for mass action last year. Three different organisations have been targeted since last week’s Save Zimbabwe Convention at which opposition factions, civic groups and church leaders resolved to form a broad alliance to fight against the government’s policies.