SEVEN armed men reportedly besieged the Chitungwiza home of Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya, placing his family under house arrest in a four-hour blockade that ended with his arrest yesterday.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA/ RICHARD CHIDZA
The incident came as President Robert Mugabe spoke to thousands of bussed youths and a splinter group of former freedom fighters threatening brutal repression against the growing internal rebellion.
A family member confirmed Mahiya’s wife and three children, including a four-month-old baby, had been cut off from the rest of the world before being set free after the armed men heard the ZNLWVA spokesperson had given himself up at Harare Central Police Station’s Law and Order Section.
“The seven men, who did not identify themselves, placed us under house arrest, stopping anyone from leaving or entering the house. They took all our mobile phones and only left after they had been informed our father had handed himself over to police in Harare,” a family member said.
The police later returned to the house in the company of a handcuffed Mahiya and turned it upsidedown.
Police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed Mahiya was being questioned.
“His lawyer brought him to the police and we are questioning him,” she said.
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Mugabe, in a chilling speech, threatened liberation war type reprisals to those linked to a damning communiqué that rejected his leadership and accused him of corruption, divisive behaviour, dictatorship and running the economy aground in 36 years of misrule.
The Zanu PF leader said he had set up a team to investigate those who originated and distributed the communiqué, and once found, they would be punished severely.
“We selected leaders in the party to investigate so that we know who wrote and circulated the communiqué and we will punish them in a very big way,” Mugabe said.
He narrated how they dug holes underground as cells for enemies during the liberation struggle, like burrows for rodents, as a form of punishment, saying the same fate would meet those behind the communiqué.
“During the war, we would punish defectors severely . . . we kept them underground like rats, in bunkers . . . it is the same thing we are going to do here in independent Zimbabwe. They must taste jail,” Mugabe, buoyed by the support after a week of uncertainty, vowedGeorge Mlala, a senior member of the splinter war veterans group led by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene, called on the Zanu PF Midlands provincial executive to immediately take action against ZNLWVA secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda and Headman Moyo in Matabeleland North. The two are members of the Zanu PF central committee.
Mugabe also effectively dissolved the war veterans executive led by Christopher Mutsvangwa, amid calls to have them arrested for attempting to overthrow the government.
The Zanu PF leader openly bragged that police belonged to Zanu PF and would be used to crush any protests and his enemies, especially church leaders, who were wading into politics.
“The police are ours and they should see to it that these small party protesters are thrown into jail so that they can taste the food there,” he said.
Mugabe tore into church leaders, telling them to stick to the Bible.
“I want to warn them very strongly, Zanu PF will not tolerate any nonsense done in the name of religion, keep to your religious side and we will respect you. If you wade into politics, you are courting trouble and we know how to deal with enemies,” he said
Mugabe said he would soon facilitate for a congress to elect a new leadership of the former freedom fighters.
