Eight Harare city councillors who led a probe into the shady purchase of council land by business tycoon Philip Chiyangwa, were on Thursday again detained by police. The previous day they were similarly detained following a complaint of criminal defamation made by Chiyangwa, who is Mugabes nephew. Those detained and later charged include Warship Dumba, who chaired the committee that investigated the dubious land deals.
The report exposes how Chiyangwa, with help from ZANU PF officials then running the council, bought council land on the cheap without following proper procedures. It also implicates local government minister Ignatius Chombo as having corruptly acquired stands from council for himself. But instead of the police investigating Chiyangwa and Chombo they are arresting and charging the councilors who investigated the matter.
Speaking to Newsreel from Harare Central police station councilor Casper Takura from Tafara said they were being interrogated individually over the stories which appeared in the media containing details of the damning report. Later in the day they were charged with criminal defamation and made to sign warned and cautioned statements.
Last week journalists Stanley Gama, Jennifer Dube, Feluna Nleya and Vincent Kahiya were detained after exposing the land scandal in news articles that appeared in The Standard and The Sunday Times newspapers. Police demanded to know the source who leaked the council report to the journalists. On Thursday that was one of the questions police were harassing the councilors with who leaked the document to the media.
Meanwhile in Victoria Falls an MDC councilor appeared at the Magistrates Courts on Wednesday on charges of undermining the authority of the President.
Benard Nyamambi had been arrested in March after an argument with a security guard who refused him permission to drive into the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. He had told the guard he only argued with Robert Mugabe.
Although he appeared at the Magistrates Courts on Wednesday his trial was postponed – due to an incomplete docket.
Post published in: Politics