Luke Tamborinyoka, the MDC’s director for information, told us the
activists have been held incommunicado for 27 days, without access to
their lawyers or family.
MDC lawyers on Tuesday petitioned the Attorney-General, saying the
country’s chief law officer should order whoever is holding the
activists to either release them or bring them to court.
‘As it is now, we don’t have any shred of information about their
whereabouts. We don’t even know if the are still alive. Instead of
protecting it’s citizens, this government is acting otherwise and this
shocks us as a party,’ Tamborinyoka said.
The activists have been illegally detained despite a High Court order
issued on the 11th November ordering their urgent release. Tamborinyoka
said the detention of activists was illegal and poses a major threat to
the party’s negotiations with Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF.
‘The MDC, through its lawyers, have made it clear to the attorney
general’s office that the continued illegal detention of the MDC
activists is a clear violation of the Global Political Agreement signed
in Harare on Sept. 15 and the party will call for the intervention of
the Southern African Development Community and the African Union, the
guarantors of that agreement,’
Tamborinyoka said.
Under the Security of Persons and Prevention of Violence section in the
GPA, all parties agreed to work together to ensure the security of
persons and property; and to ensure the safety of any displaced
persons, their safe return home and their full enjoyment of the full
protection of the law—witnessed and guaranteed by the AU and SADC.
The missing activists have been named as Concillia Chinanzvavana, the
MDC Mashonaland West provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly, a
former parliamentary candidate for Zvimba South and a member of the MDC
National Council.
Others are her husband, Emmanuel Chinanzvana, who is a councillor for Ward
25 in Zvimba South, Fidelis Chiramba, the Zvimba South district chairperson.
Chiramba stood as an MDC senatorial candidate for Zvimba in the March
29 elections. Also missing is Ernest Mudimum the MDC parliamentary
candidate for Zvimba North in the March elections.
Fanwell Tembo is a youth organizer in Zvimba South; Terry Musona is the
deputy provincial secretary. Lloyd Tarumbwa is an activist, while
Violet Mupfuranhehwe is the wife of the MDC Zvimba South youth
chairperson, Collen Mutemagawo, who is also being held. Their two year
old child is also being held as are, Pieat Kaseke, Gwenzi Kahiya,
Tawanda Bvumo, Agrippa Kakonda and Larry Gaka.
SWRadio Africa