The government paper The Herald reported on Saturday that the MP for Glen Norah Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga was assaulted by a youth from the opposition party at a meeting that had been convened to find a lasting solution to intra-party violence that has gripped the MDC. The Herald claimed the meeting sought to bring together the party's Harare provincial leadership, and district and ward structures from Glen Norah and find ways to quell violence that was causing discord in the constituency.

However, party spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said the meeting had in fact been called to deal with provincial structures before their annual congress, and that Misihairabwi-Mushonga was there not only as MP for Glen Norah, but as the deputy organising secretary for women in the province. According to Nyathi, the youth who attacked her was part of a group that advocates a more violent approach for the party and is one of the many infiltrators planted by the government.

The party spokesman said this particular group of youth does not approve of the legal challenges that the MDC has been pursuing but, as a non-violent party, they would deal with the attacker according to normal disciplinary procedures.

Themba-Nyathi said the attacker was someone who was not supposed to have attended the meeting, and who became upset when asked to leave. This individual blamed Misihairabwi-Mushonga for this outcome and subsequently attacked her. Nyathi said that the MDC does not advocate violence and that the MP should be respected for her hard work. He made a call for women to be respected in Zimbabwe.

The Herald alleged that there was a group linked to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and another one controlled by secretary general Welshman Ncube. Themba-Nyathi said this was not the case. This incident had more to do with a faction of violent youth on whom the government has spent a lot of money in order to infiltrate the MDC.