Zimbabwean police on Friday fired teargas to disperse political activists holding a meeting convened by members of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai in Lupane District.
MDC-T supporters, including party vice president Thokozani Khupe, ran for dear life when police used the teargas to stop the meeting.
Some elderly women are said to have been hospitalized following the incident. Police were not immediately available for comment.
"We held our meeting at a homestead which was attended by about 300 people. We informed people that they should not register to vote in the 2018 general elections. After finishing our meeting, we were surprised to see armed police who asked us to leave.
“They started telling us to disperse and when I attempted to reason with them they threw a teargas canister at me. We ran for dear life but women and children left behind were exposed to the teargas. Some of them have been hospitalized.”
Khupe claimed that they informed the police when they held the meeting in a rural homestead in Matabeleland North province.
“The police actually broke the law. They descended on us with a very heavy hand. We were surprised about their move to disperse the crowd while were having lunch soon after the meeting.
“I will definitely discuss this matter with my colleagues in parliament. I hope this will not happen again.”
The Public Order and Security Act stipulates that police are supposed to be informed whenever members of the public want to hold a meeting.
Democracy activists have over the years pressed the government to repeal the law saying it violates people’s rights as enshrined in Zimbabwe’s constitution.
MDC-T supporter running for dear life ...
Thokozane Khupe ... Face to face with the police ...
Police in action ...