THE Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) has urged Zanu PF to rein in on its supporters who are suspected to be behind recent attacks on opposition members.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
Suspected Zanu PF youths last Saturday stormed a Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) rally in Glen View and pelted supporters of former Vice-President Joice Mujuru with stones, injuring many in the process. The incident came hardly a week after other suspected Zanu PF youths attacked an MDC-T youth rally in Mbare.
ZPP said such behaviour was regrettable and should be condemned.
“Zimbabwe Peace Project is appalled by the latest spate of violence which saw supporters of Zimbabwe People First beaten up at their rally in Glen View this past Saturday; as well as supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change beaten up last week in Mbare,” ZPP said.
“Zanu-PF youths have been implicated in both cases. The injuries sustained by victims, the damage to vehicles and other items; as well as the general panic and disturbances as a result of the violence could have been avoided; and has no place in modern politics which is supposed to be tolerant, multiplistic and diverse.”
The human rights watchdog added: “ZPP condemns the acrimony which betrays an ingrained and unrelenting intolerance in the rank and file of the ruling party which continuously prevents it from brooking alternative voices.”
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ZPP said in the absence of curtailing action by the ruling party’s leadership, it would suggest then that violence was in fact ignored if not outrightly condoned.
The organisation urged members and the leadership of the ruling party to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt their intolerance for violence.
Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) this week accused Zanu PF militia in Chitungwiza of abducting six of their youths from their homes.
However, Zanu PF provincial youth chairman Edson Takataka dismissed reports that his party was behind the attacks. Takataka accused ZimPF officials of instigating the Saturday violence. He singled out Jim Kunaka who had accused him of causing the skirmishes.
“Why is it that whenever there is violence, people will rush to say it’s Zanu PF? We are not a violent, party. If Jim Kunaka was violent, it will be shameful for him to think we are doing the same,” he said.
“All the people in ZimPF are the ones who thrive on violence, which is why they were fired from Zanu PF. We are a clean party and they should stop taking people for granted.”
