During the 2008 elections, MDC-T supporter Moses Chokuda was murdered by children of top Zanu (PF) officials in the cotton-growing town . Farai Machaya, a member of the Zanu (PF) provincial youth executive and son to Governor Jaison Machaya, Edmore and Bothwell Gana, sons of the disbanded Zanu (PF) Gokwe District Coordinating Committee chairperson Ignatius Gana and Abel Maphosa a Zanu (PF) activist, were sentenced to 18 years each in prison. Delivering judgment, Justice Mathonsi said the court noted a worrying trend in which it appeared the police were attempting to conceal evidence in favour of the accused.
The peace campaign event saw voluntary police members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee marching at Nembudziya Growth Point holding placards denouncing political violence. The officer commanding Midlands, Assistant Commissioner Learn Ncube, told the gathering that political activists should be tolerant of each other, warning that those who use violence against their opponents would face the full wrath of law.
Officer commanding Gokwe district, Chief Superintendent Tedius Madondo, told villagers: “Violence derails development through destruction of lives and property therefore people should maintain peace during the period of the run up to the elections.”
Villagers who spoke to The Zimbabwean applauded the peace initiative and urged the police to walk their talk. “We attended the event because of its positive objective. What remains is for the police to stick to their words and remove all perpetrators of violence from our communities,” said one villager.
Flora Bhuka, the MP for Nembudziya also added her voice to the call for peace and encouraged police to rid the constituency of perpetrators regardless of the party to which they belong.
Post published in: News