Arrested Mutambara and opposition members sing their way out of detention

Violet Gonda
19 May 2006

Opposition leader Arthur Mutambara and at least 50 party members were arrested in Budiriro on Friday morning accused of taking part in an illegal election campaign. The Mutambara led entourage which included senior party officials MP Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Morgan Changamire and MP Edwin Mushoriwa had been on a road-show to campaign for their candidate in the Budiriro by-election, Gabriel Chaibva, when they were stopped and arrested.

Speaking on the cell phone while in detention at Glen View police station Glen Norah MP Misihairabwi-Mushonga said, “We had been given a verbal communication that we were allowed to do a road show but we were then intercepted by the police along the road, taken to the police station and we are now being charged under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).”

She accused the police of having sinister motives and trying to destabilise their campaign on the eve of the elections. An irate candidate Gabriel Chaibva, also speaking while in police cells, said all his election agents had also been arrested.

This is the first time that Arthur Mutambara has been arrested since he became leader of this MDC faction in February. When asked how he was taking this, Misihairabwi-Mushonga said, “ Well you know he has always been a person who has known arrests ever since he started student activism. So in fact I think it’s a good thing. He needs to be re-introduced to the cells and see just how bad they have become from the time that he was arrested.”

But despite the arrests the members could be heard singing and chanting slogans in the cells as we were recording the interviews. At times they openly denounced ZANU PF singing songs like - “Zanu yawora baba” (ZANU has decayed).

The opposition members were released late Friday afternoon after spending 8 hours in prison. Speaking after the release, Information Officer for the Mutambara faction Maxwell Zimuto believes they were released because the police had no real case against them and also because the group made a lot of noise in detention. He said: “We were all put in one cell and told to shut up but we didn’t shut up because most of our youths were actually singing and this incensed the police.” According to Zimuto when the singing became louder and louder the police ordered them to pay fines but they refused because they had done nothing wrong. Zimuto said they were all told to report back on Monday.

Voters go to the polls on Saturday for the Budiriro by-election. Both the factions of the MDC are fielding candidates. Gabriel Chaibva (Mutambara MDC ), Emmanuel Chisvuvure (Tsvangirai MDC) and James Bvirindi (Mugabe Zanu PF).