ED reined in rogue soldiers: Senator

ZANU PF women’s league commissar Maybe Mbowa yesterday said sanity had returned to her Gokwe-Nembudziya constituency after she alerted President Emmerson Mnangagwa to the soldiers’ brutality.

Mbowa, in a leaked audio, unwittingly exposed rogue soldiers terrorising villagers, forcing others to crawl in muddy water as punishment for allegedly flouting lockdown regulations.

“That is now sorted. There is now calm,” she told NewsDay yesterday.

“As you know, we have a listening leadership, a listening President and after we raised concerns raised by the people, it is now sorted.”

In the audio, Mbowa said a group of soldiers had gone on the rampage in the district, harassing villagers and exposing them to COVID-19.

She also alleged that the soldiers would force beer outlets to open for a drink after a day of harassing people in the district.

The Gokwe-Nembudziya senator, in the audio, threatened to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri and senior party officials to stop the soldiers from abusing villagers.

“I got several reports and I initially ignored them thinking people were lying. The recent report was about a former teacher who was harassed and was beaten by the soldiers who also forced him to crawl. Another victim was forced in the water. Imagine in these COVID-19 times, someone is forced in the water exposing them to the virus,” Mbowa said in the audio.

“We want to know what these soldiers stand for. Are they there for the government and are they there to see to it that government regulations have been followed?” she asked.

She said the military should be friendly with the people and not instil fear.