Police plan to arrest Chibaya and Ostallos for visiting stranded villagers

By Garikai Mafirakureva | Masvingo Mirror |

Masvingo Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Law and Order has opened a docket against former CCC national organiser Amos Chibaya and spokesperson Gift ‘Ostallos’ Siziba and others who visited stranded villagers evicted from Mushandike near Masvingo.

The families were evicted from their homes by Government under Operation Operation No to Land Barons and Illegal Settlements On State Land.

The team went to Mushandike to sympathise with victims of the operation, assess their needs with plans to mobilise resources including food and school fees for children.

Masvingo Police spokesperson Kudakwashe Dhewa said he is yet to receive the report.

Impeccable sources however, told The Mirror that a docket under Case number ER2/24 was opened at Masvingo Central Police Station on March 5, 2024.

It is understood that Police want to arrest them under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA).

Chibaya scoffed at the planned arrests.

He said Police had no case at law and it is acting out of desperation and clutching at straws to victimise the opposition.

“This is hogwash. We visited these people at their homesteads. The Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) does not apply where you visit people in their homesteads unless it is a rally.

“It was not a gathering. We were just passing by empathizing with the affected villagers. This is madness. Anyway, we are waiting to hear from them,” said Chibaya.

The Maintenance of Peace and Order Act came into effect on November 15, 2019, replacing the Public Order and Security Act of 2002 Chapter 11:17.

The Act governs gatherings, processions and public demonstrations The law impacts negatively on the freedoms of assembly and expression in Zimbabwe.

The evicted villagers sold their properties for a song to raise money for rentals in neighbouring villages or for transport to their rural areas. One man sold his Mazda B1600 for US$200. Goats were being sold for $10, Chickens for $1 and roofing sheets for $3.