via RadioVop Zimbabwe – Police Target Tsvangirai Loyalists, Youth Leader Arrested Over Mangoma “Assault” February 22, 2014
Zimbabwean police have charged MDC-T youth leader James Chidhakwa with assaulting the opposition party’s deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma as it emerged that a manhunt has been launched for the arrest of some senior party leaders loyal to party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Chidhakwa, the MDC-T youth secretary for security and defence was arrested Friday and charged with assaulting Mangoma in contravention of Section 89 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
The MDC-T youth leader appeared in court on Saturday morning after spending a night in police detention before he was remanded in custody to Monday when he returns to court to hear a verdict on his bail application filed by his lawyer Benjamin Chikowero of Gutu and Chikowero Attorneys.
Radio VOP has also gathered that police officers have launched a manhunt for some senior MDC members including Harare central constituency legislator Murisi Zwizwai, Dennis Murira, a close lieutenant to Tsvangirai, Shakespear Mukoyi, the party’s Harare province Vice Chairperson, former Mbare councilor Paul Gorekore and some party youths.
Mangoma recently filed a police report at Avondale Police Station claiming that he had been assaulted by supporters loyal to Tsvangirai after a party leadership meeting held at Harvest House, the MDC-T headquarters last weekend. Mangoma drew the ire of Tsvangirai and other party supporters after he called for the resignation of the former trade union leader outside the party’s formal structures.
Tsvangirai has already condemned the harassment of party leaders and recently publicly stated that the youth who “yanked” Mangoma’s shirt outside the party headquarters will “face the music”.
COMMENTS
It’s high time the police did their job. Mangoma was assaulted in broad daylight and those involved must be brought to account. I suggest the police also investigate and interogate both Tsvangirai and Chamisa’s possible involvement.
Gukurahundism!!!
Thats gud to al those involved in violance of Mangoma to be brought in book of law. But police shldn’t do the same . When its zanu pf youth members who commits same crime like that. So police shld wrk for pple of the country not for parts.
careful they don’t just get zanu sentences like those in Mutare last week…
All nonsense.
So many cases have been reported but police have done nothing and yet the police were quick on this one ,I dont think the police are there to apply rule of law ,To mangoma good luck with that one,but ….
While we don’t condone violence and what happened to Mangoma we find it very strange with the speed the police Have reacted. ZANU PF thugs during the GNU were always assaulting and injuring MDC cadres mostly in Mbare but they were never arrested. We are talking of that Mbare based Chipangano who were in the news every week under the leadership of that blood drinking idiot Jimu Kunaka but up now they are free. We want justice. We are watching.
Hey thepolice have got this one right. MDC says it does not have violence in its blood, so anything violent from MDC is quickly dealt with. As for ZANU PF, they have declared openly that they have degrees in violence, so when they exercise what they claim to have…its not a surprise at all. So Shut Up.
The big question is: are the partisan police going to deal the real culprits or issue this time around; or as usual, they are going to go overboard & abuse this unfortunate incident to settle zanu-pf scores with MDC-T party?
Apart from this fear emanating from our knowledge of the zanu-nized police force, to some of us: violence is violence regardless of its colour and/or creed. However engages in violence is a barbarian who deserve to be punished as heavy as the last law of the land permits.
Yes, its in violence awarded to them by the zanu-pf god himself; and they are licenced to use them as the deem wish without police lifting a finger. But should MDC as a party & another democratic forces who are supposed to fight such barbarism emulate the same. Its obviously a no, no,no,… Those who want to it zanu-pf way should not confuse us, they should join or go back where they belong – zanu pf. In zanu pf, yes they can rape, torture, kill, etc, while Chihuri & his subjected cheer them up.
Advice, we are not going to loose sleep for a perpetrator of violence who is arrested by police as long as they arrest the right guy. Second if you want to engage in violence without being arrested you know what to do – join zanu pf; and of course become any open enemy of democracy; don’t pretend; unosungwa.
If the guy who assaulted Mangoma has been arrested what is this manhunt all about?
Gutu, Mangoma knows it was not one guy, man hunt is for other guy out there, posing danger to both Morgan and Mangoma.