Zanu (PF) regalia composed of T-Shirts and Caps were distributed at the rally addressed by Zanu (PF) parliamentary candidate for Harare East, Noah Mangondo.
It took police water cannons to disperse the scrambling officers and families, as some of them broke into fist fights over the regalia.
Mangondo who was accompanied by losing Zanu (PF) primary election candidate, ‘Mau Mau’, tore into MDC-T finance minister, Tendai Biti, whom he described as a rural heard boy not fit to be a government minister in whatever capacity.
Biti was MP for Harare East and is standing as MDC-T candidate for the constituency.
Besides de-campaigning Biti, nothing of substance was discussed at the rally which was attended by over one hundred police officers and families resident at the camp.
The Chikurubi rally followed another one held at Police Morris Depot in the morning.
“Police officers and families are being forced to vote Mugabe and Zanu (PF) at coming elections, but the general feeling is that people will vote their way ‘Bhora musango’, anti Mugabe vote,” said a police inside source.
Security sector cantonments are sealed against political parties other than Zanu (PF).
MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora, said though the Constitution does not restrict them from addressing rallies in police camps, as a party they were forbidden by Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri.
“All the same, MDC-T would not want to make inroads into police camps to address police officers as this would politicise state institutions which are supposed to be non partisan in their conduct,” Mwonzora told The Zimbabwean.
Mwonzora said MDC-T was helping members of the security sector appreciate that, since they will cast the ballot away from their work place, they have the opportunity to vote candidates of their choice.
70,000 police officers and constabularies are set to cast their ballot through the special vote coming Sunday and Monday.
The rest of the electorate will go to the ballot on July 31.
Efforts to seek comment from the police were fruitless, as both Senior Ass Comm Charity Charamba and Supt Andrew Phiri, did not pick their mobile phones.
Post published in: News