NATIONAL Vendors’ Union of Zimbabwe (Navuz) leader Sten Zvorwadza has claimed that he was assaulted by Zanu PF youths in Mbare on Saturday, on accusations of disrespecting President Robert Mugabe.
BY OBEY MANAYITI
The alleged attack came after Zvorwadza recently gave Mugabe a two-week ultimatum to stop the violent eviction of street vendors from Harare’s central business district.
“I was assaulted on Saturday by rowdy Zanu PF youths. When I went to report the matter at a nearby police station, the officers who accompanied me to the scene were also harassed and they ran for their lives,” he said.
“The Zanu PF youths are very determined to use violence against fellow citizens. They boasted that they were instructed by their seniors to assault people like me and they were clear that the ZRP will not be able to arrest them because they have immunity.” The Navuz leader, who last year led a series of anti-Mugabe demonstrations in Harare, said he was also pelted by stones, after he had brought in police officers to intervene.
He said after the attack, he took the stones to Mbare Police Station as evidence. He opened a case against the Zanu PF youths.
Zanu PF Harare provincial youth chair, Edson Takataka, yesterday seemed to be supportive of party youths who assaulted Zvorwadza.
“Mbare is a Zanu PF stronghold and whoever comes there to try and belittle our leader will be resisted like what happened to him. I wasn’t there but I heard there was a small skirmish. I want to advise him to desist from his behaviour. As Zanu PF children, we will not remain silent if our leader is insulted,” he said.
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But Zvorwadza hit back, saying no part of the city should be declared a no-go area for anti-Mugabe activists.
“To all Zimbabweans I say let us drop this violent culture and let us come together and preach peace. Let us teach our elders who grew up surrounded by violence that it is counterproductive to remain in the mentality of violence, we must work together to leach those who believe in violence that we are all Zimbabweans and we must love one another,” he said.
