By Tererai Karimakwenda
22 September, 2011
The escalating incidents of violence against the MDC-T took centre stage at the funeral of the late party founder, Diamond Karanda on Wednesday, as party officials called on their youth members to defend themselves, the way he did until his death.
Gangs of ZANU PF thugs have caused chaos in Harare over the last few weeks, assaulting legislators in parliament, market vendors, minibus operators and even police officers, with impunity.
The Chipangano gang from Mbare have achieved notoriety for their violent activities and have taken over many council-owned properties around the capital, controlling parking lots, bus ranks and market stalls.
At the funeral where thousands of MDC-T members were gathered, the party’s vice national Chairman, Morgen Komichi, called on the youths to “help Harare” and to defend themselves against ZANU PF attacks.
“Harare is under siege and now ZANU PF thinks this is Uzumba. Let’s rise up and get ready to defend ourselves if (Police Commissioner-General Augustine) Chihuri does nothing,” Komichi told the mourners.
Adding to this, the party’s organizing secretary Nelson Chamisa said their youths are dying from injuries sustained in the attacks. “The ZANU PF youths last year declared they were taking over what ‘rightly belonged’ to them,” Chamisa reminded the mourning crowd.
Settlement Chikwinya, the MDC-T MP for Mbizvo Kwekwe, told SW Radio Africa that the attacks are part of a “grand election strategy” to hit at the core of the MDC-T, which ZANU PF believe is centred in Harare.
“We have not retaliated against ZANU PF. We respect the rule of law and our doctrine of peace as a party. But if Police Commissioner Chihuri does not act, we will protect our members from violence,” Chikwinya explained.
The MP said they are giving the police and ZANU PF youths a chance to join them in peaceful co-existence, because the country would fall into chaos if violence continued.
The co-Minister for Home Affairs, Theresa Makone, admitted to SW radio Africa on Wednesday that she is powerless and the youth “are above the police”. Makone said there is “an unwritten law within ZANU PF” that the youth are not to be arrested, “if they are furthering ZANU PF’s agenda”.
Some observers have said retaliation is exactly the trap that ZANU PF wants the MDC-T to fall for, so they can accuse party leaders of inciting their members and arrest them. This would also turn attention away from ZANU PF’s own violent activities, ahead of elections due next year.
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