MANICALAND MDC-T spokesperson and Makoni South MP Pishai Muchauraya was yesterday arrested on allegations of making death threats against journalist Geoff Nyarota’s campaign team members at a rally in his constituency in March.
REPORT BY OBEY MANAYITI
Muchauraya has a case before the courts for allegedly making death threats against Nyarota and the journalist’s aunt Sophia Chibayambuya, who is an MDC-T aspiring councillor in the same constituency. Muchauraya was by yesterday still being held at Mutare Central Police Station, but was set to be transferred to Rusape.
Assistant Manicaland police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda said he was not privy to the details of Muchauraya’s arrest as he was out of office. However, his lawyer, Passmore Nyakureba, confirmed the arrest which took place shortly before Muchauraya, a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information and Communication, attended a Media Institute of Southern Africa- organised meeting.
“Muchauraya is being charged with threatening to murder one Amos Kutiya at a public rally he addressed sometime in March this year in Rusape. He has been detained at Mutare Central Police Station pending transfer to Rusape. Kutiya is part of Nyarota’s campaign team.
“My client is denying the allegations entirely and he insists that these are the machinations of his political foes who are determined to scuttle his confirmation as MP for Makoni South where he is a candidate.
“We hope he will be released at 8am on Sunday after 48 hours maximum detention and the police cannot detain him beyond that period as that will constitute an unlawful detention in terms of the new constitution,” Nyakureba said.
