MDC condemns police violence

By Giles Mutsekwa

The MDC condemns the police violence at our party headquarters yesterday where they indiscriminately beat up people and threw teargas at the entrance into the building.

Scores of our supporters were injured in the State-sanctioned brutality while the teargas affected many of our members who were attending the national executive and national council meetings at the party headquarters.

One of our MPs, Hon. Thabitha Khumalo was seriously injured and had to be rushed to hospital.

Apart from the attacking innocent members at the MDC headquarters, the police also assaulted innocent citizens engaging in a sanctioned protest against government’s ill-advised plans to introduce bond notes.

Despite the High Court allowing the protest march to proceed in Harare, the police went ahead to beat the protesters, including journalists on duty.

We note with concern this reprehensible behavior and their penchant to assault innocent citizens. Instead of stemming the rising discontent, these attacks will actually increase the ire of Zimbabweans. Of all the state security agents, it is the police that are currently leading in curtailing the rights and freedoms and rights of citizens.

As we roll out our provincial demonstrations and prepare for our national show of discontent, we hope the police execute their Constitutional duty of maintaining law and order and refrain from this needless attack on innocent citizens.

We are putting this regime on notice, that notwithstanding this brutality, the people of citizens will continue to constitutionally express their displeasure against rising mis-governance and repression.

Giles Mutsekwa is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs in the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).