Police raid MDC HQ, 15 arrested

By Farayi Machamire and Blessings Mashaya

Police yesterday raided the MDC’s Harvest House headquarters in Harare and apprehended at least 15 MDC employees over allegations of assaulting a Zanu PF supporter on Saturday.

The MDC members of staff included three students on attachment and MDC deputy national chairman Morgen Komichi.

They were dragged to Harare Central Police Station where they were awaiting an identification parade at the time of going to print.

Police spokesperson Charity Charamba said she was out of office the whole day and could not comment on the raid.

MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora claimed the raid was a smokescreen to glean information from Harvest House.

“They even ransacked the office of the president on the fifth floor. They went to the fourth floor which is the information department. We can only guess they wanted information,” Mwonzora said.

This comes as the MDC has approached the police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri seeking permission to hold a demonstration on April 7.

“The demonstration, which is allowed in terms of section 59 of the Constitution, is to ask the president the whereabouts of the $15 billion (said to be missing from diamond proceeds) and the widespread poverty obtaining in the country,” Mwonzora said.

“We can only anticipate they are going to say no and this is a pre-emptive strike to cow the MDC into submission.”

This comes as the MDC has sensationally claimed that Zanu PF used the “police and army” to scuttle Tsvangirai’s three-day tour in Mashonaland East over the weekend.

Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said: “The ruling party went to great lengths to instil fear in the people, particularly at Kotwa Growth Point in Mudzi and at Mutoko Growth Point where… Tsvangirai addressed rallies last Friday.

“At Kotwa, the army had earlier warned people not to attend the meeting while a food distribution function was organised near the venue of the rally to sway starving citizens from the MDC meetings.

“In any case, the food was brazenly being distributed in a partisan manner as Zanu PF party cards were a requirement at the food distribution function presided over by party functionaries.”

Tsvangirai’s third rally in Mutoko was also scuttled by officers from the Central Intelligence Organisation, Tamborinyoka said.

He claimed the officers intimidated people and put up a poster of Mugabe at the venue of the meeting.

“The police said they would arrest anyone who removed the poster, hastily stuck up by intelligence officers just before . . . Tsvangirai’s scheduled meeting,” he said.

“Despite this desperate bid to intimidate the people, the residents of Kotwa, Mutoko, Hwedza and Chivhu where the (MDC) president held his rallies were resolute that no amount of intimidation would work in 2018.

“At Kotwa and Mutoko, some residents listened to the MDC leader from shop verandahs as they feared reprisals from Zanu PF.

“Zanu PF as a party remains keen on harvesting from the fear they planted in the province in 2008.” Daily News