Misa Zimbabwe bemoans Mnangagwa’s use of targeted surveillance on critics

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro

The Media Institute of Southern Africa, (Misa Zimbabwe) has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s under-fire government of unconstitutionally using “targeted surveillance on critics.”

In a statement Monday, MISA Zimbabwe said the right to privacy was increasingly under threat in Zimbabwe” after Mnangagwa told Zanu PF officials that his administration was stalking critics.

“You see the fake abduction staged by this other party (MDC Alliance), false abductions, but because of ICT, we are now able to trace where they walked, slept and who they talked to, we have all that now,” Mnangagwa told chairpersons of Zanu PF provincial women, youths and war veterans at his party headquarters.

Misa Zimbabwe beamoned the speech by Mnangagwa.

“MISA Zimbabwe is concerned by what seems to be targeted surveillance at critics of the government and dissenting voices. This is a grave departure from the letter and spirit of the Constitution which calls on the State and all institutions and administrative authorities to respect, protect and promote the Declaration of Rights as set out in the Constitution.

“International standards and best practices stress that any limitation to fundamental rights should pass the three-pronged test on legality, necessity and proportionality,” read the statement.

Recently, the State confirmed that it was stalking MDC Alliance MP Joanah Mamombe after releasing CCTV footage of her shopping with her family.

Mamombe together with party colleagues Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova are facing charges of allegations of faking their abduction.

These allegations came regardless of the activist being taken by suspected State security agents from police cells, dumped in Bindura and found after four days with injuries on their bodies.

They were remanded out of prison after many weeks of incarceration at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

Mamombe, who is under mental examination, is reportedly still under surveillance from the State and spent an extra 12 days detained at Chikurubi for a mental health exam. Nehanda Radio