As the Sadc summit to deliberate on the deteriorating political situation in the country draws nearer, the MDC-T and Zanu PF are trading insults, accusing each other of fanning violence in the country.
The MDC-T has refuted Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri’s remarks, laying blame on the party and accused him of behaving like a Zanu PF spokesperson and challenged him to come clean on political violence.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora yesterday said many of the party supporters had died at the hands of Zanu PF and evidence was there to prove Zanu PF’s “thuggery”.
“It’s a pity Police Commissioner-General Chihuri and his staff have allocated themselves positions of spokespersons for Zanu PF. The records and statistics by Zanu PF are useless because they do not take into account the violence perpetrated by Zanu PF.
“It’s a well-known fact that they don’t arrest Zanu PF perpetrators. For example, we still have one Mwale accused of murdering Talent Mabika and Tichaona Chiminya, scot-free . . . We still have people who murdered Headman Rwisai Nyikauru recently in Nyanga still roaming freely in Nyanga,” said Mwonzora.
Mwonzora said the MDC-T wanted the police to arrest all perpetrators of violence regardless of political affiliation.
“If they do that, they will realise they will be dealing with Zanu PF activists,” he said.
While Mwonzora accused Zanu PF of violence, the former ruling party’s spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, was pointing the finger at the MDC-T, saying the party was known for violence in and out of the country.
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“After our party went to South Africa for the anti-sanctions petition, the MDC-T went there and attacked our people. What is that? That is why we say MDC-T is a violent party in the country and outside the country,” Gumbo said.
However, Mwonzora said Chihuri should investigate perpetrators of violence since 2000 for his statistics to be useful.
He said in most cases, MDC-T activists who are victims of Zanu PF are arrested if they go to report to the police.
Mwonzora also blamed Zanu PF for hijacking the MDC-T provincial congresses and deploying drugged youths to tarnish the image of MDC-T in the eyes of Sadc.
“The police are desperate to equalise the State-sponsored violence of Zanu PF with what happened at the MDC-T congresses ahead of the proposed Sadc summit,” he said.
