Kariba MDC candidate and family still locked up

By Tichaona Sibanda
29 September 2006

There is growing concern over the fate of Rufaro Nyoni, the MDC candidate for the forthcoming rural district council elections in Siakobvu under chief Mola’s area in Kariba, who is still languishing in police cells six days after being arrested for celebrating his success at filing his papers at a nomination court.

Nyoni, who is the MDC candidate for ward five in Siakobvu, was picked up by the police last Sunday from his house for celebrating with his wife, Rebecca, his brother Jevas, a friend Goresa Gandu and two of his daughters-law who have been named as Dezy Ncube and Agnes Mafedha. The reason given for their arrest was for gathering ‘illegally’ at Nyoni’s house.

Cloepas Machacha the MDC secretary for Kariba district said with no information available they were beginning to feel frustrated with the lack of progress in trying to help their colleague and his family.

All efforts to get to Nyoni and his family have been hampered by lack of resources, especially fuel to enable the MDC to send a lawyer to the remote post, almost 180km south west of Kariba on the periphery of Matusadona game reserve.

‘Worse still we can’t even get through to the area on the telephone as the lines have been down all week,’ said Machacha.

When Nyoni was arrested he was celebrating his success at submitting his papers after overcoming so many hurdles put across by the regime for opposition candidates to register their candidature with the nomination court.

‘There were so many requirements needed and we still feel most of them were put there to block opposition candidates. They were being asked to pay Z$2 million, bring copies of letters from chiefs and headman confirming whether they resided in the area. They also needed clearance letters from the police and passport size photographs, all this from a person in a rural area,’ Machacha told us on Thursday.

Since the beginning of this month over 50 MDC activists have been arrested in the resort town for holding strategic party meetings for the forthcoming rural district council elections.