BULAWAYO East legislator, Thabitha Khumalo (MDC-T) has spent a week at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo, where she was admitted as she battled the after effects of inhaling teargas hurled at her by police during an anti-government protest march in Harare last month.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
In an interview with Southern Eye early this week, the asthmatic opposition legislator said she has been in and out of hospital since September due to allergies triggered by police teargas.
“I have always managed to control my allergies, but ever since I inhaled tear smoke in September, I am now failing to control my allergies, hence, I have been in (and) out of hospital prior to my being admitted here,” she said.
“The problem is that there is not enough research on the after effects of teargas on people. The question that begs answers is how many were affected by tear smoke.
“I was admitted on Wednesday, and have been on continuous oxygen therapy. I was only removed from oxygen therapy today (Tuesday).”
Top MDC-T officials, including Morgan Tsvangirai visited her in hospital on Friday ahead of the party’s 17th anniversary celebrations.
Khumalo condemned the police for wantonly firing teargas on unarmed civilians staging peaceful demonstrations as guaranteed by the Constitution.
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“There is need for police to maintain law and order, but at the same time, they should know that that one cannot just fire teargas, for example, in confined places,” she said.
“They need to take into consideration that when they throw teargas, children, pregnant women, the disabled, the asthmatic, like myself, and even the able-bodied get affected by their tear smoke.
“They (police) should go back to school and be oriented on issues of human rights. Throwing teargas against unarmed civilians is a violation of human rights as guaranteed in the Constitution.”
