RESIDENTS’ associations in Bulawayo have condemned reports of assault and harassment of residents by police in the ongoing operation Zvanyanya launched last Thursday in the city’s high-density suburbs.
NDUDUZO TSHUMA STAFF REPORTER
The associations also condemned an incident where a final year university student was last Friday assaulted by police in Cowdray Park for responding to police in Ndebele.
Bulawayo United Residents’ Association chairperson Winos Dube said while they were in full support of the police operation to weed out crime in the community, the cops needed to conduct their duties in accordance with the law.
“We are in full support of the police operation considering the incidents of crime recorded recently. We welcome the move when police come in numbers to apply the law. We urge the community to co-operate with the police in their quest to weed out criminal elements,” Dube said.
“We also encourage that when the police conduct their duties, they do it according to the Police Charter so that the intended beneficiaries do not suffer in the process. We do not condone the harassment of innocent residents, if such reports are true.
“If it is true that someone was beaten for responding in Ndebele, then it is very unfortunate. We do not expect such behaviour in Zimbabwe. Everyone should be allowed to communicate in a language that they are comfortable with,” Dube said.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents’ Association (Bpra) organising secretary Ambrose Sibindi echoed Dube’s sentiments saying the police should conduct their operation in a manner that does not confuse people.
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“First of all we support the deployment of police officers to fight crime in light of the events recorded recently. We urge the police not to harass innocent persons in the process. Even the guilty are taken through the justice process and not harassed,” Sibindi said.
“We are concerned about the Cowdray Park incident where a resident was harassed for responding in Ndebele by someone who is employed to protect them. That person is tarnishing the image of the police. If they can’t work with Ndebele-speaking people, they should ask for a transfer.
“The authorities should deal accordingly with this matter. It reminds one of the Gukurahundi era where every Ndebele-speaking person was referred to as a dissident. We are reminded of that when things like that happen,” Sibindi said.
He said the police could copy from the Ian Smith regime, which taught deployees the major language and culture of an area before being deployed.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo on Monday denied that police were assaulting or harassing residents.
He said the operation had seen the arrest of 693 suspects and recovery of 12 specified knives, implements for crime like iron bars and drugs, mostly mbanje.
