HARARE - Police baton-charged and tear-smoked a church service at St Peters Kubatana in Highfield Saturday, sending parishioners jumping out through windows.
The violent putdown of the prayer meeting called to commemorate the brutal assault of MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai on 11 March 2007, was a grim repeat of the shocking police assault of the MDC leader that marked a significant turning point in the MDC’s struggle for change and reform in Zimbabwe.
Besides the brutal assault of Tsvangirai, there were dozens of arrests and detention of political and civil society leaders in Highfield, Harare on 11 March four years back, in the same neighbourhjood where police today lobbed tear gas canisters into church, smoking out parishioners.
The MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa described the quashing of the prayer meeting as a shocking act of impunity.
“Shakespeare Mukoyi, the MDC Harare Province Vice Chairperson has been kidnapped by suspected Zanu PF thugs at the prayer meeting when it was moved to Glen Norah from Highfield. His whereabouts are still unknown,” he said. “Grandmothers with hymn books and carrying hosho (shakers) were beaten up,” Chamisa said.
Dozens of people were injured after riot police charged at the meeting to pray for peace in Zimbabwe. Police say there is no need to pray for peace because Zimbabwe is already enjoying peace. The church service in Glen Norah was attended by dozens of parishioners. Police had earlier sealed the initial venue at St Peters Kubatana in Highfield, before the meeting was taken to Glen Norah.
A huge crowd gathered in Glan Norah to see whether Tsvangirai would appear at the proscribed meeting. In spite of a large police presence, Tsvangirai showed up, in disguise, as he had promised. Police were increasingly nervous because of the agitated state of the crowd, and when given the order to disperse them, they attacked people without restraint.
The vicious attack on Tsvangirai, senior political and civic leaders and other pro-democracy activists on their way to a Save Zimbabwe Campaign prayer meeting at Zimbabwe Grounds four years ago, moved the world attention to Zimbabwe and triggered a serious negotiation process that ultimately put in place political reforms that produced the March 29, 2008 election result.
“The party realises that the struggle has since reached its penultimate stage,” Chamisa said. “This is a crucial period for all the forces against tyranny and dictatorship to reaffirm their 2007 resolve for unity and unanimity right to the end.”
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