Council threatens to repossess MDC office in Kwekwe

By Violet Gonda
18 July 2006

The MDC Secretary for Local Government Abraham Muchena from the Tsvangirai MDC has reported that local authorities in Kwekwe are making moves to repossess the stand that used to house the opposition party’s office, claiming there has been no development.

But he said the Council is not taking into consideration that the building was set on fire by state agents during the 2002 Presidential elections and in 2005 the same office was razed to the ground by bulldozers during the government’s illegal Operation Murambatsvina. The MDC official said it was the council itself which destroyed the offices during the so-called clean up exercise.

To complicate things further, Muchena said ever since the MDC split into two camps last year there has been confusion over how to handle certain assets including buildings such as the Kwekwe offices. He said the two factions need to co-operate to fight against the council takeover.

In spite of the destruction of the building, which was purchased six years ago by the opposition party, the Tsvangirai MDC had continued using it as its headquarters for Midlands North Province by holding party meetings under a tree there.