MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe was briefly detained at Magunje Police Station on Sunday and quizzed over a party meeting, she had addressed earlier on at Murereshi and Chiedza townships in Hurungwe West.
BY NUNURAI JENA
She was later released without charge before MDC-T Mashonaland West provincial chairman Tawanda Magunje and organising secretary Wilson Makanyaire were summoned to the same police station today for allegedly violating provisions of the Public Order Security Act.
The party’s provincial treasurer David Mutambirwa was also summoned to Karoi Police Station over the same charge. By late evening yesterday, Mutambirwa was still being interrogated at Karoi Police Station.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu confirmed the matter and accused police of operating like an extension of the ruling Zanu PF party.
“Yes, for the record I can confirm that our vice-president Khupe was briefly detained at Magunje Police Station but we warn the police not to be used by Zanu PF because according to law as a political party we are exempted from seeking police clearance for our party meetings…This was not a rally neither was it a public meeting,” said Gutu.
Makanyaire said about 20 police officers including plain clothes officers waylaid Khupe as she arrived at Magunje Growth Point and ordered her convoy to drive into the police station for interrogation.
“It’s unfortunate that the police who are in the habit of frustrating our leaders on behalf of Zanu PF had the guts to drag our law-abiding VP yet they are failing to discharge their Constitutional mandate to look for (missing activist) Itai Dzamara,” Makanyaire said.
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Makanyaire said they had initially applied for permission to hold a rally and it was turned down with police citing flimsy excuses but ended up holding a district party meeting at a different venue.
MDC-T and other opposition parties have always accused police of being partisan.
