Soldiers terrorising Nkayi villagers: MDC

Some Zimbabwe National Army members camped in Nkayi North’s Gwelutshena have been accused of unleashing havoc and terror attacks on villagers in wards 3, 4, 5 and 6, Welshman Ncube’s MDC has said.

Leonard Mhlanga, the MDC Matabeleland North chairperson said soldiers are terrorising villagers in Nkayi, coercing them into voting for the ruling party. 

“This is a complete mockery of President Mnangagwa’s ‘pledge’ to allow free and fair elections in a few months’ time,” he said.

“We demand that President Mnangagwa brings his ‘boys’ in the military to order on this unbecoming conduct and walk the talk on his pledge of a free and fair election.”

Efforts to get a comment from the ZNA were futile.

Mhlanga said “the army has a duty to protect civilians from external threats and be the safeguard of the people’s democracy and not to be used as instruments of coercion and intimidation against the very citizens they are supposed to protect.”

“Their conducts should be in line with the provisions of the national Constitution that forbids them to be partisan or act to further the interests of any political party,” he said. Daily News