3 more Tsvangirai MDC officials arrested

By Violet Gonda
22 February 2007

Police in Harare arrested three more officials from the Tsvangirai MDC in connection with last week’s demonstration. Deputy secretary for international affairs Grace Kwinjeh, the Member of Parliament for Kambuzuma Willas Madzimure and Elton Mangoma, the deputy national treasurer-general were arrested on Thursday morning.

Nelson Chamisa the MDC Secretary for Information and Publicity said the arrests are unlawful and a retribution campaign by the police who “continue their violent crackdown on opposition supporters and officials.”

The government announced a ban on all political meetings in Harare and Chamisa confirmed in a statement that the security forces have virtually imposed a curfew in the suburbs. He said in effect Zanu PF has declared a state of emergency. “Since Sunday, our supporters are constantly being picked up from their homes on trumped-up charges ranging from armed robbery to rape and stock-theft.”

The opposition party reports that the police are ordering all bars and shops to close at 6pm in Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Glen View, Mufakose, Highfield, Southerton, Glen Norah, Kambuzuma, Warren Park and Dzivarisekwa.

Meanwhile police refused to comment about the latest arrest of the senior opposition officials but SW Radio Africa managed to talk to Kwinjeh in custody, who confirmed that she had been detained but she could not give more details fearing the police would discover she still had her mobile phone.

Their lawyer Alex Muchadehama, escorted Kwinjeh and Madzimure to Harare Central Police Station in the morning. Early this week police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena issued a statement saying they were looking for organisers of the Highfields Zimbabwe Grounds Rally.

This was the rally that was violently broken up by police this past Sunday. Despite a court order barring the authorities from interfering or disrupting the opposition event, truckloads of riot police wreaked havoc in the high-density area of Highfields by firing teargas and water cannon to stop the MDC rally.

The United States government has condemned the police crackdown on the opposition rallies. State Department deputy spokesperson Tom Casey called on the authorities “to respect the country's judicial decisions and the rule of law and allow the people of Zimbabwe to exercise their political rights.”

He said the people of Zimbabwe have made clear their desire for democratic change and that the crisis in Zimbabwe can only be resolved through dialogue.