Police Confiscate MDC President Mutambara’s Passport

MDC PRESS STATEMENT
15 June 2007

Four MDC officials were arrested in Harare today as police embarked on arbitrary arrests of innocent civilians resulting in the confiscation of President Mutambara’s passport which was found in Nicholas Nqabutho’s possession. The four officials who were arrested are Miriam Mushayi, the party’s Deputy Treasurer General, Nicholas Nqabutho Dube, the party’s Information and Publicity officer of the South African District, Romuldo Mavedzenge the party’s Director of Administration and Fungisai Sithole assistant to the Secretary General. They are all detained at Harare Central police station.

The four were stopped in Central Harare and were forcibly searched by the police. Nicholas Nqabutho was found in possession of President Mutambara’s passport which he had brought to facilitate issuance of a visa. President Arthur Mutambara is in South Africa where he is attending the World Economic Forum in Cape Town which was addressed by President Thabo Mbeki and the entire South African Cabinet. President Mutambara is due to travel to the UK on Saturday 16th June 2007 and had sent Nicholas to have a British visa issued in Harare. Nicholas is due to fly back to South Africa tomorrow morning (Saturday). Initially the allegation had been that Nicholas was in possession of the President’s passport. Romuldo, who is a registered Lawyer and Miriam, had then followed up on Fungisai only to be arrested as well. No charge or any indication as to a possible charge has been made by the police. The Officer in Charge Law and Order refused to give any explanation of the Police action waiting rather for orders from above. Fungisai is apparently being charged for possession of $8million dollars in cash which is meant for purchasing fuel for the Secretary for Information and Publicity who was due to travel to Bulawayo tomorrow morning.

Detective Inspector one Mr. Rangwani, who was said to be the arresting officer, could not shed any light as to why they had been arrested and had referred the matter to the Officer in Charge. Harare Lawyer Mr. Harrison Nkomo is handling the case.

MDC is deeply shocked that the Zimbabwean police are behaving like gangsters and are now the law unto themselves. People are being arrested arbitrarily and for no reason. Such action and behaviour is deeply deplorable and we strongly condemn this total disregard of human liberties and rights to be informed of what crime they may have committed.

Gabriel Chaibva

Secretary for Information and Publicity