Arrests and kidnapping during NCA demonstrations

By Violet Gonda
20 September 2006

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) has said scores of activists were arrested, including 140 people detained in Mutare, during protest marches in several cities on Wednesday. Four members are also reported to have been kidnapped by ruling party militia and are being held at the ZANU PF provincial offices in Harare. An NCA official said the pressure group was demonstrating against the recent brutalisation of members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and also calling for a democratic constitution.

Like last week the police are accused of using brutal force to disperse the peaceful protesters in some parts of the country.

An NCA official who preferred to remain anonymous said at least 300 people took part in the demonstrations in Mutare resulting in 140 arrests. He said, “We have 13 people being attended to by medical officials in the province.”

The group said there were three arrests in Masvingo, in the Midlands province seven people were injured while three were arrested. In Bulawayo 200 people took to the streets and there were no arrests.

But in Harare the strike action failed to take off due to heavy police presence. “Actually we had to move from about three (different) positions trying to take off and eventually four of our members were kidnapped by ZANU PF militia. So we had to call it off.”

The strike, which initially was supposed to start at Copacabana in Harare’s central business district, was moved to Construction House because of the intimidating presence of the police. But the official said it had to move from there to Africa Unity Square when police officers gathered.

“Then we eventually moved to Fourth Street, coincidently that is where the ZANU PF Harare Provincial Offices are.” He reports that some suspected ZANU PF militia clad in party regalia dragged four youths away and took them into the party offices.

When asked why they couldn’t go in and find their colleagues the activist said; “From outside it seems like everything is OK but ZANU PF has a clean record of being murderers. They can do anything. So we fear for the worst. If we get in I am sure the situation would deteriorate so we are seeking the assistance of the police to drag them out.”

We were not able to get a comment from the police.