Police detain Tsvangirai


 HARARE - Zimbabwe police have held main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai since noon today, his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has said.

 MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told ZimOnline that Tsvangirai was held by police in Lupane in Matabeleland North province while on his way to mobilise support ahead of a second round presidential election later this month.

 Chamisa said the police had not indicated what charges they planned to bring against Tsvangirai or whether they intended freeing him later.

 Chamisa said: “(MDC) president Tsvangirai has been held by police in Lupane. He has been held for two hours since 12 noon. He was on his way to Lupane on his victory tour campaign in the rural Matabeleland.”

 Tsvangirai starts off as favourite to win the run-off poll that is being held because the MDC leader defeated Mugabe in a March 29 poll but fell short of the margin required to takeover the presidency.

 But political violence has marked campaigning for the run-off poll, amid charges by the MDC that Mugabe has unleashed state security forces and ZANU PF militias to wage violence against the opposition party’s supporters and structures in an attempt to regain the upper hand in the second ballot.

 The opposition party says that at least 50 of its members have been killed in political violence over the past two months while several thousands more had been displaced from their homes.

 And in a statement earlier today Chamisa said that suspected ruling ZANU PF party militia petrol-bombed MDC offices at a rural business centre in the southern Masvingo province, killing three of the opposition party’s members.

 Chamisa said four more members were missing after the bombing on Tuesday night at Jerera business centre, while two others were critically injured and were receiving treatment at the church-run St Anthony’s Musiso hospital in the province.

 The MDC spokesman said that the dead party members whose names were not yet available had gunshot wounds and it was suspected that they were first shot before the offices were bombed.

 We have information right now that police from Law and Order have arrived and we hope they will investigate. Three bodies are still in the offices. We are still trying to locate four other bodies. All these people have gunshot wounds, said Chamisa.

 Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was unable to immediately comment on the matter saying he was unaware of the alleged bombing incident. He promised to investigate the alleged killings. – ZimOnline

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