Source: Police brutality: Zanu PF blocks Parly action – NewZimbabwe 23/08/2016
ZANU PF MPs on Tuesday refused to support a motion moved by Kuwadzana MP, Nelson Chamisa who wants the Home Affairs Minister called by the august house to launch a full investigation into cases of police brutality against peaceful protesters.
The motion was introduced a week ago but could not go through parliament’s preliminary stages for debate after Zanu PF MPs filed out of parliament one after the other leaving the house with no sufficient members to make a quorum.
Parliament needs at least 70 members at every given time to discharge its business.
After the snub last week, Chamisa took advantage of the resumption of parliament on Tuesday to table the motion but was again given a cold shoulder by Zanu PF legislators.
During the process, the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda called for MPs who supported the motion to show such support by standing up and only MDC-T MPs rose, leaving dozens of Zanu PF MPs who constitute the parliamentary majority chained to their seats.
The conduct of Zanu PF MPs has been described by critics as an indirect endorsement of worsening cases of police brutality in the country.
When he introduced it first time, the MDC-T deputy president described his motion as of “urgent national importance” after police have continued to beat up protesters while journalists have also been caught up in the beatings.
“This motion has to do with what we have witnessed in our country – a very sad development which I have no doubt is not supported by any legitimate Member of Parliament and we are all legitimate Members of Parliament,” Chamisa said then.
“The issue of the conduct of citizens who claim to be police officers because their conduct has not been consistent with the conduct of police officers.”
Chamisa called for Minister of Home Affairs to investigate the conduct of the police and report to Parliament within the shortest possible time.
“…Now therefore call upon this house to do the following, asks the Minister of Home Affairs to issue a public apology in the context of that investigation for the untoward conduct of some of the police officers,” Chamisa made a request among a list of other demands.
Anti-riot police have been slammed for brutally crushing peaceful protest against President Robert Mugabe’s failing leadership.
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Groups, led by the activist #Tajamuka/Sesijikile and the Occupy Africa Unity Square have staged successive demonstrations calling on President Mugabe to surrender his job.
They accuse the Zimbabwean leader of being the cause of the country’s worsening economic hardships that have seen massive joblessness and a crippling cash crisis, among other ills.
President Mugabe has used party and national forums to both castigate and issue threats against his critics which he has dismissed as fronts for the hostile West.
Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo has also been quoted a number of times insisting the state will crush any anti-government protests while Defence Forces Commander Constantino Chiwenga has also issued similar threats against protesters.
COMMENTS
We applaud Hon MP Chamisa for glaring exposing Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, as amply proved by a whole bunch of their MPs (who are Mugabe’s wives anyway), as the authors and power behind police brutality and all politically motivated violence in the country.
We all know are never allowed by their party and their dear husband, who happens to own Zanu PF anyway, to exercise their independent minds on any matter. They always have to dance to the husband’s tune. So, what the zanu PF MPs did in Parly (which is endorsing police violence & brutality) simply reveal their husband’s position.