THREE Harare residents are in police custody after they were arrested on Wednesday 22 January 2020 for allegedly assaulting some ZANU PF party supporters who were reportedly conducting a clean-up exercise in Mbare, one of the capital city’s oldest suburb.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers on Wednesday 22 January 2020 arrested Jonathan Taiziwei, aged 25 years and Cleopas Chinodya, aged 32 years, who both reside at Nenyere Flats in Mbare high-density suburb and Elia Mutsindi, aged 28 years of Budiriro high-density suburb in Harare and charged them with assault as defined in section 89 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
ZRP officers alleged that Taiziwei, Chinodya and Mutsindi, who are informal traders operating in Mbare assaulted some ZANU PF party supporters, who were clad in the ruling party’s regalia after they visited their stall, where they operate from claiming to be conducting a clean-up exercise in the high density.
The ZANU PF party supporters claimed that the informal traders’ stock of tyres and tubes was rubbish that should be thrown away and started destroying some sheds housing their wares by cutting down poles and removing some iron sheets. This compelled the trio to go to Matapi Police Station in Mbare to file a report concerning the destruction of their property.
As Taiziwei, Chinodya and Mutsindi arrived at Matapi Police Station, a group of some ZANU PF party supporters then appeared at the police station, where some of them alleged that the trio had thrown some stones at them and injured them and this led some police officers to arrest them before pressing assault charges against them.
Taiziwei, Chinodya and Mutsindi, who were transferred from Matapi Police Station to Harare Central Police, where they are currently detained, are expected to appear in court on Friday 24 January 2020.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
