Anna Manjoro on Question Time |
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| This week SW Radio Africa journalist Lance Guma speaks to Anna Manjoro, who talks about her daughter Cynthia Fungai Manjoro, one of 24 people arrested by police in a politicized witch hunt of MDC-T members following the death of a policeman in Glen View. Mai Manjoro who broke down during the interview says her asthmatic daughter was nowhere near the scene of the crime and has a 2 year old child she needs to look after. |  |
| Cynthia Fungai Manjoro and child | and child|
Interview broadcast 22 June 2011 Lance Guma: Good evening Zimbabwe and thank you for joining us on Question Time. Last week we spoke to the Secretary General of the MDC Youth Assembly Promise Mkwananzi in relation to the murder of a police inspector in Glen View last month and the subsequent arrest and charging of 24 MDC members. As a follow-up to that interview I speak to Mai Manjoro, that’s Anna Manjoro I believe, who is the mother to one of those arrested, Cynthia Fungai Manjoro. Mai Manjoro thank you for joining us on the programme. Anna Manjoro: Thank you for having me. Guma: OK opening remarks, would you maybe like to just summarise the problem you faced in this issue in terms of what happened to your daughter in this case. Manjoro: Actually I learnt about it on Wednesday, when my daughter, my youngest daughter informed me that Stephen and Cynthia had been taken by the police and she couldn’t really tell what the reason was because I understand when they were taken, they were just going for questioning. They were told they would be questioned and sent back home but when Monday evening passed; Tuesday evening passed she had no choice except to let me know that this is what has happened. Stephen and Cynthia were arrested at the police station. On further inquiry of what had happened I was told that Cynthia’s car had been seen in Glen View, so I had to do further checks to find out what had happened. Then I was told Cynthia had gone to church, then a friend of hers was the one who had her car because the car is registered in the name of her brother which is Stephen Manjoro. Cynthia doesn’t have a driver’s license at the moment so each time she goes around she has to have a licensed driver. When she got the car she only drove it once under the instruction of the brother, that is on the day it arrived. Thereafter it has been the brother driving it and on the day in question the brother was never with the car. Cynthia was at church and she only got the car in the evening when the friend dropped her back home. Actually he picked her from a friend in Avondale where she spent the afternoon. On further checks to find out who had the car I was told that he had the car and Cynthia was not there. So when I attended the court hearing, the first remand court hearing on the 3 rd it was mentioned that Cynthia was being held as bait so that this guy would turn himself in so that she could be freed. That’s what has been said so far and we have had two hearings, that is one for the 17 th which was a remand again to the 1 st of July and we are now waiting for a bail hearing which we don’t know the outcome as yet. Guma: I’m sure its infuriating, yesterday we spoke to the lawyer representing these people, Charles Kwaramba and he was telling us 19 out of the 20 who are being accused were nowhere near the scene of the crime so a lot of families are facing a similar situation to yours. Manjoro: That’s what’s happening and it would have been nice if somebody was there then you would say ah well she has to face the music but in this case, considering she was with her friend where she spent the whole afternoon and let me emphasise here something that people might not know, Cynthia has got a two year old child and she had that child the whole afternoon in Avondale where she spent the day with her friend Lynette and her mother and she only got home in the evening with her child. For her to be accused of being in Glen View and being in Avondale at the same time it really boggles my mind. So as a mother you don’t know how to think and how to behave in such a situation where your child is labeled something else which you would have never ever dreamt of. It’s really disturbing. Guma: When you are visiting her at the cells, what is she saying in terms of how are they being treated? Manjoro: Well they are saying they are okay but they say okay in the sense that you are in an environment where you have no choice of being there because if one had a choice they wouldn’t want to be there and me personally, I wouldn’t want my child to be there. My wish is if only they could grant them bail then try them having them coming from their respective homes it would be more respectable. That’s my wish and I’m pleading that at least they should grant them bail and I’m not saying I condone bad things happening but let the people who did the thing be the people who face the music rather than having somebody who was out there who didn’t know anything about it to be accused of something that she would have not done. It’s so painful and I don’t know, I don’t know, I’m really at pains to believe this is what my child is going through. Guma: On Tuesday, Kwaramba the lawyer was telling us they’ve challenged the state to particularize and to state the role played by each of the suspects in this case but the state has not done so. I suppose this is the sort of thing you want to be told in terms of what your child is being accused of. Manjoro: Yah that’s the thing because they are just saying all of them participated. So the participation, in my case I am saying if it is the case of the car I wouldn’t mind them keeping the car but if they could only, I’m begging them to please, let my child come home. She has got a child, she has got a job which she has to satisfy and that’s where her livelihood comes from. So that’s my only plea but at least if she could be tried coming from home. Everything else they can do and investigate. Guma: I suppose the big difficulty with this case and a lot of people are pointing this out is the fact that it’s now a politicized case where those who are perceived to support the MDC or who work for the MDC are being targeted. Do you think this is the biggest problem?
Guma: In this case have you been able to pressure anyone, talk to ministers, people to help? In terms of when you have situation like this and you want people to help you, do something about this, so that maybe if there are people who are listening in, what sort of pressure do you want? Manjoro: Me I would like a situation where we say the truth and nothing but the truth and stop picking even people who were not at the crime scene. So I would like those who are able to exert influence, anyone who can assist in this matter, and have the matter expedited so that people can be tried while coming from their homes. Anyone who can assist in this matter, me personally I would be very, very grateful because I am most concerned about my child. She is an asthmatic, if she has an attack there the outcome would be very, very detrimental and I don’t think that I would be able to survive. I’m really, really worried about my child. Guma: At this juncture when is the next hearing? Manjoro: They were remanded to the 1 st of July and in the meantime our best hope, I’m saying our best hope considering that Cynthia is not the only one and the relatives of those who are in the same predicament as Cynthia are also hoping that the bail hearing will be a positive outcome so that at least we have our children back home. Guma: And have you had the chance to meet the other families of those who are in a similar situation to you and if so what are they saying. Manjoro: Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to meet anyone because I’m at work and I was on leave just last month, that’s May so right now I can’t see myself taking leave at this moment except being on a few days, one day, two days and which is not enough for one to meet anybody and talk about it but I want to thank them the lawyers because they have been keeping us, me personally informed because I really phone and Mr Kwaramba, Mr Mtisi and Mandewere have been very, very helpful. They do their best to keep me informed and try to calm us, saying just be calm, things will be okay which is a consolation to know that there are some people out there who are working tirelessly to ensure that these people are at least released on bail, at least. Guma: Are you able to try things like approaching like the Home Affairs ministers and other people with influence, is this something you could try.
It’s really, I don’t know, the feeling you can’t express it, you can’t express it because it really pains you. This is the time where I was watching Cynthia blooming like a rose, the rose bud which was now trying to bloom and stretching out and all of a sudden this comes. Fine we say in life you get trying times and I want to believe that this is just a trying time and God will deliver us out of this. Guma: Now what I’m going to do Mai Manjoro, part of this interview, I’m going to get in touch with the co-Home Affairs minister Theresa Makone, hopefully also Kembo Mohadi and play this interview to them so in the next few minutes I just want you to say what you want to say to them because I’m going to try and make them listen to this interview, so if you could just address them, I’ll play the interview to them. Manjoro: I just wish as parents, they understand the situation I am in. I want my child home. I want my child home, please, Cynthia was not in Glen View and all I’m just asking is for my child to be home, please bring my child home. I’m begging them to bring my child home……. Guma: I think we’ll end the interview here Mai Manjoro. Thank you so much for taking time, I know it’s not an easy subject to talk about but I’m sure our listeners are listening in and appreciate the situation that you are going through. We will do our best also as journalists to approach the relevant authorities and also see if anything can be done about this. I’d really like to thank you for taking time out to talk to us. Thank you so much. Manjoro: Thank you Lance. To listen to the programme: http://swradioafrica.streamuk.com/swradioafrica_archive/qt220611.wma Feedback can be sent to lance@swradioafrica.com http://twitter.com/lanceguma or http://www.facebook.com/lance.guma SW Radio Africa – on line 24 hours a day at www.swradioafrica.com and daily broadcasts on 4880 kHz in the 60m band between 7 - 9 pm Zimbabwe time. Twitter : Facebook : RSS feed You can now get SW Radio Africa on the Tunein Radio smart phone app. |
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