A gang of ZANU PF supporters disrupted a hearing on the Human Rights Commission Bill on Saturday, beating up an MDC MP and assaulting journalists. The attack, which has been widely condemned by civil society and human rights groups, happened in full view of the police who did nothing to stop the violence.
ZANU PF’s Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa, on Thursday said the party would defend its supporters, saying the victims of the attack must have provoked them.
“Is it possible for someone to just leave their homes to go and beat up people at Parliament without being provoked?” Mutasa asked, during an interview with NewsDay newspaper. “Why did they not beat up any other persons who were at Parliament?”
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition’s Phillip Pasirayi told SW Radio Africa on Friday that Mutasa’s comments prove that the disruptions of such public meetings have been organised by ZANU PF. He said it is no surprise that ZANU PF is “propping up its terror machinery in this way.”
“They know they can’t win a democratic, free and fair election and they want to create chaos because it works in their favour,” Pasirayi said. “Minister Mutasa’s comments shows that this violence is organised and will be defended.”
Meanwhile, the ZANU PF thuggery has continued in other parts of the country and this week the house of an MDC activist was burned down by known ZANU PF members. The home of Marjorie Chikwasha, an MDC activist in Ward 12 Nyanga South, Manicaland province was burnt by what the MDC-T called “known ZANU PF mobsters” on Tuesday night. Chikwasha lost three bags of fertiliser, two 50kg bags of maize and kitchen utensils. She made a report at Nyanga Police Station but no arrests have been made.
This is the second attack on MDC members in less than a week. On Sunday night, in Chiredzi West, Tawanda Imbayago's house, the MDC secretary for Ward 28, was burnt down by known ZANU PF arsonists. A report was also made at Chiredzi Police Station but again no arrests have been made although the culprits have been identified.
Post published in: Zimbabwe News