The Herald (Zimbabwe)

Zanu PF slams Masvingo violence claims

- Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter

AHEAD of President Mnangagwa’s visit to the United Kingdom for the UN Climate Change conference of the parties (COP 26) in Glasgow and the expected arrival of the United Nations Special Rapporteur Dr Alena Douhan, the MDC-Alliance has once again stage managed violence to besmirch the Second Republic.

This has become the modus operandi of the opposition which has in the past faked abductions ahead of the major internatio­nal events such as the UN General Assembly.

The UN Special Rapporteur is expected in the country to review the impact of the illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the Western world.

Addressing the media at the Zanu PF headquarte­rs in Harare yesterday soon after meeting provincial executive members, the party’s acting National Political Commissar Cde Patrick Chinamasa said the purported violence claims by the MDC-A leaders was meant to tarnish the image of the country ahead of the visiting UN rapporteur and President Mnangagwa’s visit to Glasgow

“I am not surprised because each time that we have high ranking foreign visitors from the United Nations or from wherever, this is what the opposition does.

“We were expecting something like a stage managed kidnapping. Someone will stage manage being assaulted. I was expecting something and that person would have to be of high level in the opposition so that it can attract the necessary adverse publicity they want against Zimbabwe and our record on human rights,” said Cde Chinamasa.

He said the MDC-A leader Mr Nelson Chamisa on Monday imposed himself on an audience in Masvingo which did not want to listen to him

“Mr Chamisa imposed himself on the Masvingo the audience seeking to address them without their consent.

“Democracy is not only about being allowed freedom of expression, but is also about freedom of receiving informatio­n.

“If you do not want hear anything I am saying, I cannot go and send a policeman to force you to come and listen to me.

“What I hear happened in Masvingo was that the opposition leader (Nelson Chamisa) was trying to impose himself to an audience which did not want to listen to him. He had no right to force people to listen to him.

“He had a right to address people, but only those who were willing to be addressed by him. In this case, the informatio­n I received is that the villagers did not want to be addressed by him for obvious reasons. If you listen to a mad man, you become part his cast,” said Cde Chinamasa.

“Our Zanu PF people had a right to refuse to be addressed. It’s their right.”

Cde Chinamasa said the opposition leader should be advised strongly not to impose himself on anybody.

“I heard that MDC-A bodyguards and their leaders fired shots in the air and that makes people angry and the people will defend themselves. Firing in the air is abominable.

“It’s clear that it was stage managed to create incidents of fake human rights violations.”

A political analyst Mr Collen Mharadzano said the stage managed violence by the puppet founded and funded party was an all too familiar script meant to discredit the country.

“Lest you forget that this party is the author of the heinous sanctions currently bedevillin­g the country. Imagine the paradise which this country could be given the economic stewardshi­p of the country under the able leadership of His Excellency ED Mnangagwa.

“Isn’t it time for the Patriot Act to get to be enacted in order to knock sense into these cowardly puppets as their acts are mere banditry schemes camouflage­d as democratic manoeuvres,” said Mr Mharadzano.

The violence claims by Mr Chamisa come after some fake abductions by staged by opposition female activists, Joanna Mamombe and two other MDC-A youth members Netsai Marowa and Cecilia Chimbiri

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