Zanu PF Mashonaland East Province has expressed great concern over videos circulating on social media purportedly showing a group of individuals physically abusing elderly people in Murewa, who are captured on camera saying they had gathered for a meeting of one of the opposition political parties in Zimbabwe.
Zanu PF Mashonaland East chairperson, Daniel Garwe, said in a statement, apart from the disgusting physical abuse captured in the video, the Province is disturbed by allegations that the perpetrators are ZANU PF members acting on behalf of unidentified bosses.
“The Province hereby distances itself from the individuals in the viral video. They are neither members of ZANU PF Mashonaland East Province nor any known affiliate and were clearly hired to further nefarious agendas including soiling the image of His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Second Republic.
“These individuals are not identified anywhere in the video by word or clothing as members of our peace-loving Party. It is therefore presumptuous, hasty and even sinister, to rush to brand them as ZANU PF members given that we are in an election season often fraught with all sorts of chicanery.”
Garwe attacked the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) for claiming that the assailants are members of the ruling party/
“The opposition Citizen Coalition for Change’s propensity to stage-manage “political violence” incidents ahead of elections is well documented and some of their senior officials are currently before the courts for such lies. The possibility that the Murewa incident was also stage-managed to draw negative international attention should not be discounted at this point.
“As a Province, we urge all citizens to wait for accurate pronunciations from the Zimbabwe Republic Police which is currently conducting investigations. On our part, we remain guided by the consistent call for peace and tolerance by President Mnangagwa. The President is on record stating that all Zimbabweans should be vigilant and maintain the stable and peaceful environment that is being fostered under the Second Republic.”
Garwe further pointed out that “we say no to violence, disunity and unrest and call on the Police to speedily bring the perpetrators captured in the video to face the full wrath of the law.”
In a tweet, Chamisa attacked the ruling party. “If you have support why are so violent, so heartless against citizens even the elderly??? And why should bases and vigilante groups be allowed around the country?? Are we now worse than animals?? What leadership is this that invests in violence? Violence is very expensive!”
CCC deputy spokesperson, Ostallos Siziba, also said the ruling party is scared of his party.
“It shows that they are afraid of losing the general elections to CCC. How do you justify the beating up people for political reasons?,” asked Ndlovu.
Some of the injured victims are currently at a general hospital in Murewa.