Jailed MDC-T activist dies after two years in prison

via Jailed MDC-T activist dies after two years in prison | SW Radio Africa Tererai Karimakwenda SW Radio Africa

An activist from the MDC-T, accused in the case of a murdered policeman in 2011, has died at Parirenyatwa Hospital following a two-year spell in jail.

Clifford Hlatywayo, national spokesman for MDC-T Youth Assembly, told SW Radio Africa that Rebecca Mafukeni passed away Monday morning after a short illness. She had been hospitalized two weeks ago.

Hlatywayo said the MDC-T legal team had approached the courts seeking to have her transferred to a private hospital for better treatment, but this request had been denied. State run hospitals like Parirenyatwa are notorious for lacking basic medical drugs and are poorly equipped.

Mafukeni, who served as the party’s deputy organizing secretary for youth in Harare province, was arrested along with 29 other activists from Glen View following the murder of policeman Petros Mutedza in May 2011at a local pub.

The police rounded up MDC-T activists at random at the time, claiming they were investigating the fatal incident. But the MDC-T activists deny the charges and insist they were targeted by ZANU PF in efforts to disrupt their structures.

“They are systematically eliminating progressive voices fighting for the emancipation of ordinary Zimbabweans. People are sad and as you know the election was rigged. Our hope has been stolen by ZANU PF and today we lost one of our own, one of our sisters,” Hlatywayo explained.

He added that there were still some party activists in jail and others out on bail as this drawn out murder case continues.

21 of the accused MDC-T activists were granted bail in December, 2012. Five were still in detention including Last Maengahama, Tungamirai Madozkere, Yvonne Musarurwa, Simon Mapanzure and the now late Rebecca Mafukeni.

Tarirai Kusotera and Jackson Mabota, arrested later in 2012 and charged separately for the same murder case, were held in detention for a month before being released on bail. Their case still drags on.