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Police block Mavambo rally

Politics
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) political party led by former Finance minister Simba Makoni, could not hold a rally over the weekend

KAROI — Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) political party led by former Finance minister Simba Makoni, could not hold a rally over the weekend after failing to secure a venue, amid allegations that State security agents were behind the move to frustrate Zanu PF opponents ahead of next year’s polls.

Report by Own Correspondent

MKD Mashonaland West vicechairperson Tofaranashe Gumbo said that police had frustrated them and refused to sanction their rally that was scheduled for Saturday.

Gumbo said police argued Zanu PF had booked all venues in the town for the weekend.

“We strongly believe there is a political hand in denying us permission to hold our rally. Our efforts to have the event at Chikangwe Youth Centre or at Chikangwe Community Hall were turned down,” Gumbo said.

“We even suggested we could conduct our rally at an open space, but we were shot down. A senior police officer, Inspector Mukuvari, told us in no uncertain terms that Karoi police would not sanction the public gathering and told me to my face that I could seek recourse in any court, but will not succeed.”

MKD was yesterday still making efforts to have the rally held on October 27, Gumbo said. Efforts to get comment from Mashonaland West police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ian Kohwera were fruitless at the time of going to print last night.

Several political parties have been barred by police either from demonstrating or holding rallies.

Makoni came a distant third in the March 2008 presidential elections after MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Zanu PF president and first secretary Robert Mugabe.

He contested the presidential election barely a month after quitting Zanu PF in anger at the failure by the party to stop Mugabe from running for polls. Makoni and some Zanu PF bigwigs were agitating for Mugabe’s retirement.

Mugabe was outpolled in the election by Tsvangirai, but the MDC-T leader failed to garner the required votes to assume the presidency.