Some members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police told The Zimbabwean this week that the exercise, launched about two months ago, was in full swing in the country’s rural provinces.
“The main aim is to use them to campaign for Zanu (PF) ahead of the elections by intimidating villagers into voting,” said a senior police officer based at the Police General Headquarters in Harare. “Officers Commanding districts and those in charge of the rural stations are under strict orders to make sure that they recruit as many people as possible through their community relations officers, but the criteria is to leave out those who are known to support the MDC.”
The exercise, which first targeted redundant former members of the NWC, has since been extended to former freedom fighters, graduates from youth militia training camps and some Zanu (PF) district and branch members.
The new NWC members’ scope of work is, however, said to be divorced from their core duty of community policing and acting vigilante for the ZRP, as they perform political duties on behalf of Zanu (PF).
“They work with trusted traditional leaders and members of the PISI to harass and intimidate villagers suspected to be supporters of the MDC and other parties that oppose Zanu (PF),” said another police officer, based at the Matabeleland North headquarters in Hwange.
Their duties also involved keeping tabs on known and suspected MDC supporters, whose movements and political activities should be noted down and submitted to the PISI, who then transmit the information to police chiefs.
They were also said to be responsible for force-marching villagers to Zanu (PF) rallies and reporting those who shunned campaign meetings.
Numerous efforts to get a comment from the police in Harare were fruitless as calls went unanswered.
Post published in: News