 MDC Spokesman Nelson Chamisa. "The police are acting in a partisan manner, banning our candidates and their supporters from conducting door-to-door campaigns, especially in the city." Related Articles Election exposes microwave politicians Can Tsvangirai turn support into votes Over 900 candidates to contest election Nehanda Radio
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07 March 2008
The MDC parliamentary candidate for St Mary’s, Marvelous Khumalo who was arrested last Friday for carrying out a door to door campaign in the area was on Tuesday remanded in custody to 18 March.
He appeared at the Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Courts facing charges of public violence in a calculated move by the regime to hamper his imminent victory in the constituency.
Khumalo and eight other MDC activists who include three council candidates were remanded to 18 March after they were denied bail on the flimsy grounds that their release would endanger public safety.
The court’s ruling gives Khumalo only 10 days of election campaigning in his constituency, assuming he succeeds in his second bail application. Khumalo and his team did not harm anyone. They were on a peaceful door-to-door campaign which apparently irked Zanu PF.
Fearing the popularity of Khumalo’s campaign in the area, Zanu PF’s council candidate in St Mary's, Charles Nota, called in the police to have the group arrested. Two members of Khumalo’s campaign group received serious injuries from police beatings whilst in custody.
Our lawyer, Alec Muchandehama, has since filed an urgent High Court application seeking an urgent release of Khumalo and his campaign team. He told the court that the arrest of Khumalo and his colleagues is politically motivated by the regime to curtail his campaign.
The MDC believes that Khumalo’s arrest on trumped up charges of public charges is, 'a planned move meant to curtail an imminent and inevitable MDC victory at the polls on 29 March. This cannot be a free and fair election when our candidates across the country continue to be beaten up, harassed and arrested for no apparent reason,' a statement said.
Since the launch of the election campaign this month, several MDC candidates and supporters have faced brutality from the police, state security and Zanu PF arrests and assaults in a move meant to cow the electorate ahead of the watershed plebiscite.
The MDC believes that no amount of brutality, arrests and intimidation will stand between the people of Zimbabwe and their vision of a new Zimbabwe and a new beginning. 'The people will win the next election. Zanu PF is running scared. The regime is cornered.'
'Despite the obstacles from a panicking regime, the people of St Mary’s remain resolute and unwavering in their desire for a New Zimbabwe. They people of St Mary’s remain committed to the MDC because it is the only party that can bring about the change they trust,' the statement added.
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