The police crackdown follows an order from Zanu PF for cops to toughen their stance against Non-Governmental Organisations.
According to a press statement given by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights today, about 20 police officers led by Detective Assistant Inspector Henry Dowa and Detective Assistant Inspector Murira raided the ZCSU offices around lunch time, armed with a search warrant justifying their raid as aimed to recover “offensive and subversive material” from the organisation’s offices in Harare.
But Harare Provincial Police spokesperson Tedious Chibanda expressed ignorance about the incident, saying he was still to receive the report.
“I’m still trying to establish something about that report, but that must be a case being handled by the CID and I have no information about that,” said Chibanda.
Inspector Sharon Musendo, spokesperson for the Criminal Investigation Department also feigned ignorance about the incident.
“I have not received information about that, you can talk to me tomorrow morning, maybe I will be able to furnish you with finer details,” Musendo said.
According to a statement by ZLHR, the police arrested Fidelis Mudimu, Zachariah Godi, James Zidzimu, Tafadzwa Gesa and Penn Bruno and took them into custody at Harare Central Police Station.
A search warrant, whose copy is in possession of ZLHR, said the police officers claimed to be convinced that the ZCSU is in possession of material that “defaces any house, building, wall, fence, lamp post, gate, elevator without the consent of the owner or occupier thereof,” in contravention of section 46 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Lawyers from the ZLHR are representing the arrested ZCSU employees.
Meanwhile, the cops confiscated a computer and some documents from the organisation’s offices.
The raid on the CSU offices follows that of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe whose offices were twice raided in August after the police claimed that the organisation and its leaders were in “possession of pamphlets and fliers with information that promotes homosexuality for distribution.
Post published in: News