Alleged Zanu PF, CIO operative threatens Biti over Covid-19 comments

By Nyashadzashe Ndoro | Nehanda Politics |

MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti was harassed and threatened with death by an alleged Zanu PF linked Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer, Alex Gakanje (Taurai Kandishaya) over his comments about government’s failure to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The death threats followed a heated telephone conversation Gakanje had hours after the former finance minister was arrested by police in Karoi on Saturday and later released without charge.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) confirmed Biti was arrested and later released. It later was advised that Biti was receiving death threats over posts that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration was failing to deal with Covid-19 following mass deaths of citizens including cabinet ministers.

“At about 09:25 hours today, we received a distress call from [Tendai Biti] advising us that he had been arrested by police in Karoi. He was not informed of any charges. He was eventually released without any charges against him,” ZLHR said.

“Biti has since advised us that he has been receiving death threats. This follows a heated telephone conversation with a person identifying himself as Gakanje quizzing [Biti about] tweeting on [government’s] failure to deal with Covid-19.”

Nehanda Radio understands that Zanu PF youths on Sunday afternoon went to Biti’s Law Firm in Harare and left some placards with threatening messages.

According to ZLHR they received another distress call that some unidentified people, two men and a woman, were affixing cardboard boxes with threatening messages at Biti’s law firm in Harare.

Nehanda Radio was also informed that the ruling party is planning a demonstration against Biti over reports that he is responsible for blocking some international aid funds.

The threats came two days after Zanu PF issued a statement accusing Biti of politicising the deadly coronavirus disease.

“It’s unfortunate that politically immature people like Tendai Biti have sought to derive political capital out of such an unfortunate health challenge bedeviling not only Zimbabwe but the world at large,” Zanu PF said in a statement. Nehanda Radio