MASVINGO – Gutu Police is yet to arrest seven Zanu PF activists allegedly involved in violence at Chiriga Business Center near Chatsworth where CCC president Nelson Chamisa was supposed to address a by-election rally on November 9 last year.
The activists are being charged with public violence as defined in Section 36(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23.
Meanwhile CCC suspects allegedly involved in the clashes with Zanu PF in the case were arrested the next morning and Gutu Magistrate Mitchell Panavanhu immediately heard the matter and granted bail of US$20 to the five.
Gutu Police has neither arrested nor identified the Zanu PF suspects. The by-election pitted CCC’s Ephraim Morudu, Independent candidate Martin Sebastian Mudzingwa and Zanu PF’s John Paradza.
The CCC suspects will appear in court on January 31, 2024, supposedly without the Zanu PF co-accused.
Meanwhile Tapiwa Chiro, a Chiriga businessman alleges that one of the Zanu PF activists involved in the violence is Robson Gahadzikwa who is a district chairman. He says in his sworn statement that he saw Gahadzikwa and another Washington Gahadzikwa assaulting patrons in his bar.
He also says there were some men in masks who used button sticks to assault his wife and shopkeeper. Button sticks are normally used by the Police.
“I saw Washington Gahadzikwa and Robson Gahadzikwa assaulting my bar patrons. At some stage we heard a hard knock and I saw three men, one of them had some Rasta (sic) and was short in height and they were wearing black masks. They broke the door.
“They started assaulting me with a button sticks and we ran away,” said Tapiwa Chiro.
Meanwhile, Robson Gahadzikwa said in his sworn statement that CCC suspects damaged his car windscreen and deflated its tyres.
The accused CCC members are Patrick Chimbare, Tapiwa Chiro, Brian Sithole, Takudzwa Mashiri and Priviledge Goremusandu.
Source Masvingomirror
