News / Local
Police ban MDC activist's memorial service
15 Aug 2012 at 06:30hrs | Views
Police in Bulawayo on Tuesday banned a memorial service for Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activist, Patrick Nabanyama, who disappeared in 2000 and is believed to be dead.
"We had planned a memorial service for one of our party heroes Nabanyama who went missing some years ago, but police forced us to cancel the event saying the matter is very sensitive. We are shocked by the police's behaviour because it was just a memorial service not a political gathering," said Bhekithemba Nyathi MDC-T Bulawayo Youth Assembly Chairperson.
Nyathi added: "We had organised this memorial working together with his widow Patricia."
He was the polling agent for Education Minister David Coltart before the MDC split in 2 000. He was abducted in front of his family on June 19, 2 000 at his home in Nketa High Density suburb in Bulawayo.
In 2010 he was declared dead by the Bulawayo provincial magistrate, Rose Dube. His widow then applied to the attorney-general Johannes Tomana seeking the issuance of a certificate to carry out a private prosecution against her husband killers.
Nine war veterans and Zanu-PF members namely Stanley Ncube, Ephraim Moyo, Julius Sibanda, Edward Ndlovu, Howard Ncube, Simon Rwodzi, A. Moyo and D. Ngoni as well as the late Cain Nkala were initial arrested in connection with Nabanyama's disappearance, but were never charged with kidnapping and murder and were freed. Three of these alleged killers have since died.
The Nabanyama family still accuses Tomana of refusing to prosecute the surviving war veterans for their son's death.
During the 2000 elections, many MDC supporters were murdered and the same happened in the 2008 elections.
"We had planned a memorial service for one of our party heroes Nabanyama who went missing some years ago, but police forced us to cancel the event saying the matter is very sensitive. We are shocked by the police's behaviour because it was just a memorial service not a political gathering," said Bhekithemba Nyathi MDC-T Bulawayo Youth Assembly Chairperson.
Nyathi added: "We had organised this memorial working together with his widow Patricia."
He was the polling agent for Education Minister David Coltart before the MDC split in 2 000. He was abducted in front of his family on June 19, 2 000 at his home in Nketa High Density suburb in Bulawayo.
In 2010 he was declared dead by the Bulawayo provincial magistrate, Rose Dube. His widow then applied to the attorney-general Johannes Tomana seeking the issuance of a certificate to carry out a private prosecution against her husband killers.
Nine war veterans and Zanu-PF members namely Stanley Ncube, Ephraim Moyo, Julius Sibanda, Edward Ndlovu, Howard Ncube, Simon Rwodzi, A. Moyo and D. Ngoni as well as the late Cain Nkala were initial arrested in connection with Nabanyama's disappearance, but were never charged with kidnapping and murder and were freed. Three of these alleged killers have since died.
The Nabanyama family still accuses Tomana of refusing to prosecute the surviving war veterans for their son's death.
During the 2000 elections, many MDC supporters were murdered and the same happened in the 2008 elections.
Source - radiovop
