Opposition offices raided as Zimbabwe intensifies “arms of war” farce

By Violet Gonda
20 March 2006

Despite being humiliated last week after charges for plotting to kill Mugabe were dropped against MDC members for lack of evidence, the government is still chasing after arms of war that the opposition say do not exist.
The operation has now moved to the MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara, where armed riot police allegedly broke into the MDC office in Bulawayo looking for arms of war and subversive materials.
Maxwell Zimuto the group’s head of communications said armed police descended on the MDC offices on Sunday evening and spent the whole night at the offices. He said searches were carried out in all the party offices and vehicles but nothing was found. Staff members were not allowed into the offices until 10am on Monday.
Zimuto said, “The basis of the search was that they were looking for arms of war. Obviously I don’t know how they look for arms of war in offices. We don’t keep them in offices... We have never kept them and we don’t intend to keep arms of war.”
The opposition party believes this is continued harassment and a deliberate intimidatory tactic by the regime. The official added; “Our experiences have clearly demonstrated that each time they realise the opposition is getting stronger they devise ways and means of trying to weaken the opposition.”
Earlier this month nine people, including Giles Mutsekwa MDC MP for Mutare North and four police officers, were charged with a plot to assassinate Mugabe when the octogenarian went to Mutare for his birthday celebrations. But the charges were later dropped against eight of them because of lack of evidence. The CIO is said to have tried to pressure the Attorney General not to drop charges against Mutsekwa and the others. A High Court Judge Justice Hungwe described as “shocking” attempts by the state security agency to influence the outcome of the arms cache saga, which resulted in two representatives from the AG’s office retreating to Harare after threats by CIO agents.
Meanwhile Mike Peter Hitschmann at whose property an arms cache was allegedly found is the only person still in custody, in Mutare.
His bail application will be made in absentia as the matter could not be heard in Mutare after another representative from the AG’s office excused himself citing personal reasons.
Hitschmann’s lawyer, Blessing Nyamaropa, confirmed that the bail application will now be heard in Harare after the AG’s representative in Mutare said he preferred the matter to be heard in Harare by his superiors.
It’s reported that the state prosecutor refused to handle this treason case after threats from security agents.
The state were charging the men with conspiracy to possess weaponry for insurgency, banditry, sabotage and terrorism under the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA).
Hitschmann’s lawyer says “this is the pillar of our case. Our argument is that charges have been dropped against the other co-accused, so Mr Hitschmann cannot conspire to commit crime on his own.”