Five opposition youths arrested and tortured over Bulawayo protests

By Lance Guma
16 March 2007

Opposition youths in Bulawayo’s Tshabalala suburb barricaded roads and burnt tyres Thursday morning as tension in the country continues to grow following the arrest and torture of MDC leaders. According to Gertrude Mthombeni, shadow secretary for Labour and Social Welfare in the Tsvangirai MDC, the situation in the city is tense with party supporters reacting angrily to the beating by police of party president Morgan Tsvangirai. She says as early as five in the morning youths blocked roads using stones and boulders on the streets of Tshabalala, while others burnt tyres to show their displeasure with the ongoing police brutality.

Riot squads later cleared the roads and arrested five youths. Mthombeni told Newsreel that those arrested have been severely tortured in custody. ‘People are very angry and are reacting in different ways,’ she said. 19 youths were arrested the previous day at the MDC offices in Bulawayo after trying to demonstrate. Police also arrested the former Chief Executive of the banned Daily News, Sam Sipepa Nkomo in the same crackdown. Mthombeni says the group arrested with Nkomo was released Thursday evening. The 5 youths arrested over Thursday’s protest are still in custody.

The police are said to be patrolling several suburbs and approaching any group that numbers more than 3. They are also apparently making arbitrary arrests. In just one week more than 190 activists across the country have been locked up. Its further reported that Zanu PF’s politburo met on Thursday to debate the possibility of imposing a state of emergency. The MDC has already said the fire bombing of police stations in Harare and Gweru was instigated by state security agents and is an attempt to justify imposing a state of emergency. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa has also confirmed that several of their members were arrested over the bombing allegations and are still locked up.

Gweru Mayor Sesel Zvidzai was arrested on Tuesday with 10 others after organising a solidarity demonstration, while in Kwekwe 10 activists were also picked up for demonstrating. On the same day Mutare police arrested 140 MDC activists including the entire Manicaland provincial executive. On Wednesday police in Harare raided the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union offices in the morning and held staff inside against their will. Riot police were also deployed at the MDC Harvest House headquarters following the release of Tsvangirai from custody. 3 student leaders and 3 members of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition were arrested at the magistrates court in Rotten Row for showing solidarity with arrested opposition leaders. All have since been released.