Police arrest MDC-T youth activist in Byo

Ncube who lives in the nearby Cowdray Park high density suburb visited Registrar General's Office at Emakhandeni primary school with the aim of registering to vote in the next elections but was immediately arrested by police officers manning the office saying the councillor’s letter was fake.

“We are shocked by the behaviour of these police officers. I personally wrote and signed the letter for Sifiso to go and register to vote at Emakhandeni primary school, but some overzealous police officers arrested him. They claimed the letter was fake. As I am speaking to you Sifiso is detained at Luveve police station,”Cowdray Park MDC-T Councillor Collet Ndlovu told The Zimbabwean yesterday.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold elections in July this year, but several MDC-T youths have been arrested in the past few weeks countrywide when attempting to register to vote. Police accused them of being mobilised by non-governmental organisations which are anti-Zanu PF to go and register to vote.

Youth Initiative for Development Zimbabwe (YIDEZ) Matabeleland regional coordinator Tsepiso Mpofu also said 20 youths were barred from the same Emakhandeni primary school’s registrar general offices on Monday. “The officers working there said they should not come in groups or mobilised by anybody to come and register to vote”.

When contacted for comment Bulawayo Police spokesperson Mandlenkodsi Moyo said: “I am busy with Zimbabwe International Trade Fair preparations and have not received those reports.”

Last month 40 youths were arrested in Lupane in Matabeleland North after the youth organisation, National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) had mobilised them to go and register to vote.Police later raided NYDT offices in Bulawayo accusing them of conducting an illegal voter registration exercise in Matabeleland region.