By Thulani Ncube
BULAWAYO- Nearly 50 MDC-T youths were arrested in Bulawayo on Saturday as police ruthlessly broke up a planned demonstration demanding the release of Youth Assembly Chairman Solomon Madzore and seven other party activists held for over 8 months without trial.
A statement from the MDC-T Youth Assembly said “The well known notorious riot forces from Fare Bridge base armed to the teeth raided MDC-T Bulawayo offices where the demonstration was scheduled to start and confiscated free Solo Madzore and others campaign materials.”
Also arrested in the raid was MDC-T Bulawayo youth provincial chairman Bekithemba Nyathi. Although 50 were initially arrested Nehanda Radio.com understands dozens were released leaving about 27 inside police custody.
“The police mounted road blocks and deployed officers on bicycles at every corner, streets and road in the CBD and all suburbs. They were searching every car even in high density suburbs like Nkulumane, Mpopoma, Luveve, Nketa, Pumula, and Makokoba,” the Youth Assembly said.
The head of that assembly, Madzore was arrested on the 4th of October 2011 at his Waterfalls home and the other seven were arrested in May last year. Mugabe’s regime accuses them of killing a police officer who allegedly tried to break up an MDC-T meeting in Harare’s Glen View suburb.
Angry youths say they “are against the arbitrary arrest and incarceration of our members and secondly, we have had enough of partisan judicial tendencies of dilly dallying while playing to the tune of ZANU PF. This is a true reflection that the justice system is compromised and unprofessional.”
The MDC-T Youth Assembly statement accused the judiciary in Zimbabwe of being “used as tools to drive Mugabe and Zanu PF’ agenda by selectively applying the law. Mugabe and his Zanu PF are working against the spirit of Inclusivity and the GPA.”
“The murderers who butchered people during Gukurahundi and 2008 elections are roaming freely in the streets while Our Madzore and others are being persecuted for a crime that they did not commit. Today, the Youths of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe at large demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Solomon Madzore and others.”
“We know he is an innocent man who has been sacrificed by Zanu Pf through ZRP in an attempt to silence or pacify our Youth Assembly. We know we are not a violent Party but one thing for sure is that we are not defenceless. Solomon Madzore has been denied justice for an abnormally long period of time.
Remember, Justice delayed equals to justice denied.” Nehanda Radio.com
