Theresa Makone told thousands of people, including many police officers, that Chihuri had been tainted by accusations that his men have waged a campaign of illegal assault and killing against MDC supporters and should be fired She said the head of the police force must be held accountable for his actions during the 2008 post-election violence, when officers mainly in the Law and Order Unit and PISI allegedly assaulted thousands, raped some and killed a third of the 500 who are believed to have died.
Chihuri, a self-professed member Zanu (PF) has personally indoctrinated police recruits with party propaganda, and declared that Mugabe was God-ordained to rule Zimbabwe.
"He thinks he can be a Zanu (PF) commissar in police uniform," Makone said. "People know who burnt their houses and want them arrested. But the police won't because they are Zanu (PF).
They will be arrested (in a new Zimbabwe) and we want them to tell us who sent them." She said the integrity of the force was at risk as a result of Chihuri’s partisan actions.
"ZRP is among the best, but only one person is destroying them and he has no place in a new Zimbabwe," she said. Chihuri is on record vehemently denying all accusations, saying there was no organized campaign of killings and that his force acted in strict accordance with the law.
A human rights researcher in Harare, who declined to be named fearing Arrest, said: "One thing that is clear from all of those with whom I spoke was that Chihuri was totally on top of everything. Nothing happened that he wasn't aware of. In fact, he was criticized for micromanaging by officers we spoke to."
Among the biggest concerns shared by human rights activists is that security force leaders are answerable only to Mugabe and face little public accountability. Chihuri has actually refused to cooperate with Makone on anything, and reports directly to Mugabe and to the Joint Operations Command.
Human rights researchers have found a "systematic, widespread and carefully planned strategy" of human rights violations by police, but no member of the force has been tried.
Post published in: News