JUSTICE minister Ziyambi Ziyambi yesterday claimed that the youths, who barricaded roads during the recent job stayaway, were responsible for beating up people in communities.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
This was after MDC Alliance legislators yesterday quizzed Ziyambi in the National Assembly on why government turned a blind eye on the heinous acts of brutality perpetrated by soldiers in Harare, Bulawayo and other parts of the country.
Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance) asked: “The Zimbabwean Constitution obliges government to respect the principles of rule of law. In line with the events which took place in our country, is it now government policy that it allows gross attacks and abuse of human rights that include denial of legal access to those in custody, does mass trials, displaces people, destruction of people’s homes and murders of our people?”
Ziyambi told the House that the protesters were the ones responsible for the brutal attacks.
“Government is committed to rule of law and the events the MP has chronicled are of concern to government as there were attacks on innocent people, attacks on people’s businesses and people going about doing their business when the so-called protesters barricaded roads and prevented people from doing day-to-day activities,” Ziyambi said.
MDC Alliance legislator Paurina Mpariwa (Proportional Representation [PR]) asked Ziyambi if there was a state of emergency in the country or a curfew because people in high-density suburbs were not allowed to move around after 6pm.
Mpariwa also asked Ziyambi to explain why the incarcerated MDC Alliance MPs were not allowed visitors.
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“There is no state of emergency in the country. What has been happening is that the demonstrators that have been denying workers their rights to go to work have been moving around beating up people in communities. They would barricade roads and order people to pay them so that they can pass through. The Home Affairs ministry has only ensured that police do patrols,” Ziyambi said.
