BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA OPPOSITION Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has dismissed the police version of events leading to the disappearance of party activist Moreblessing Ali on Tuesday last week.
CCC claims that Ali was abducted by an alleged Zanu PF member, Pius Jamba, at Chibhanguza shopping centre in Nyatsime, Beatrice.
In a statement on Monday, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said Jamba was not a Zanu PF member.
Police also said Jamba and Ali were ex-lovers and had been seen fighting on the night in question.
It added that both were missing.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi accused the opposition of trying to take advantage of the differences between Ali and Jamba to gain political mileage.
But CCC disputed findings by the police and linked Ali’s disappearance to political violence.
“It is a pathetic lie to suggest that it was a love affair conflict when it was clear political violence,” CCC vice-chairperson Job Sikhala said.
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In a statement, CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere added: “We call for the ZRP to honour (its) constitutional mandate set out in section 219 of the Constitution to protect and secure the lives of all Zimbabweans and investigate this matter in a non-partisan manner.”
And in response, Nyathi said: “Whoever is disputing the facts on the ground should go and see the investigations officer and should have proof of their claims.”
Information ministry secretary Ndabaningi Mangwana yesterday posted on Twitter that Ali’s disappearance was a case of domestic violence.
“So, some bitter jilted boyfriend drags his girlfriend into some dark alley in a clear case of domestic violence. Shouldn’t our campaign be about domestic violence rather than political violence or politically-motivated abductions where they actually don’t exist?” he posted.
However, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) said it had dispatched its own team to investigate the matter.
“The cases of enforced disappearance are serious issues,” ZimRights national director, Dzikamai Bere said.
- Follow Miriam on Twitter @FloMangwaya
