Police hound witnesses in MDC activist’s murder

By Tichaona Sibanda
27 September 2010

Two key witnesses in the brutal murder of MDC activist Crispen Mandizvidza are now on the run, after police indicated they wanted to arrest them for the killing.

23 year-old Mandizvidza died from injuries sustained after a group of ZANU PF supporters attacked him. Some of the attackers have been positively identified and are residents of Mbare.

MDC MP for Mbare, Piniel Denga, told us on Monday that two key witnesses, both friends of Mandizvidza, are in hiding and ‘safe somewhere.’ The MP also confirmed reports that police had harassed mourners gathered at the late Mandzvidza’s home over the weekend.

‘I’m not surprised by what we are seeing from the police. They are now going after the two key witnesses, accusing them of murdering Mandizvidza. We know they are partisan but their selective application of the law has now gone to new heights where you turn against witnesses to a serious crime like murder,’ Denga said.

Mandizvidza is to be buried on Wednesday at his rural home in Zaka, Masvingo province. A post mortem will be conducted on Tuesday. There is still tension in Mbare following the violence that led to the abortion of a COPAC outreach meeting last week Sunday.

The violence has been blamed on ZANU PF supporters who allegedly attacked supporters of the MDC-T and barred them from attending the COPAC meeting at Mai Musodzi Hall.

Though the police blame supporters from both ZANU PF and the MDC-T for the violence, MP Denga said; ‘The whole world knows who started the trouble, except our own police force.’

The legislator added that most of the culprits fingered in the violence are known to be residents of Carter House, a church institution formed to assist the disadvantaged in Mbare.