The committee quizzed Police Deputy Commissioner General Innocent Matibiri on why suspected murderers such as Joseph Mwale of the Central Intelligence Organisation had not been brought to book.
Matibiri was asked why the men alleged to be responsible for the deaths of MDC activists such as Talent Mabika, Tichaona Chiminya and Tonderai Ndira, among others, remained immune to prosecution. “The police deal with cases which are supported with facts not hearsay. Some people are killed for petty reasons and some of these cases are as a result of media imagination,” said Matibiri.
Daylight murders
MDC legislators such as committee chairperson Paul Madzore, Silobela Member of Parliament Anadi Anold Sululu and Musikavanhu constituency member of Parliament, Prosper Chapfiwa Mutseyami, asked police to clarify what they meant by ‘there is no evidence to link anyone to the indicated murder cases’.
“These atrocities were committed in broad day light in full view of people but still the police remain inactive,” said Mutseyami.
“Deputy Commissioner General Matibiri, people find it difficult to understand that the police fail to act on reported cases because of lack of evidence,” said Madzore.
ZRP reasons ‘stink’
Contributing to the session, legislator Sululu told Matibiri that traditional leadership such as headmen were the major perpetrators of violence.
“Partisan headmen and some other traditional leadership were in the fore-front of perpetration of violence but police were not taking action. This has resulted in people losing confidence in police,” he said. “Grassroots no longer approach police for assistance and protection against perpetrators of violence since they have lost faith in the law enforcement agency.”
He also sought police justification for its continued disruption of indoor political party meetings under the Public Order Security Act.
“Police reasons for disrupting indoor meetings and failure to arrest due to lack of evidence stinks. Your excuses for not arresting perpetrators of violence are sickening,” said Sululu. The parliamentary committee will visit police provincial and district establishments for the police election preparedness probe.
ZRP said it was prepared for the election task provided ZEC approves its $190 million budget. The exercise would need some 50 000 police officers to man the 10 000 polling stations across the country. Each polling station will be manned by at least five police officers.
Post published in: News