Zanu-PF terror

THREE Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) members were yesterday hospitalised after Zanu-PF youths pounced on them as they were in the middle of a clean-up campaign in Chitungwiza.

According to TZ members, the Zanu-PF youths came when the party was rounding up its campaign at a flea market at Makoni Shopping Centre.

The Zanu-PF youths said they were not informed of the campaign and hence did not want it to proceed.

As TZ officials tried to reason with the youths clad in Zanu-PF T-shirts, the thugs reportedly took the cleaning equipment and started assaulting TZ security people who were trying to maintain order.

When The Standard arrived at the flea market, the Zanu-PF youths were busy hunting for the TZ leaders, declaring that they would not allow other parties to take the limelight away from them.

The majority of TZ members had sought refuge at Chitungwiza Police Station where the injured were filing their reports.

TZ deputy organising secretary Tichaona Saurombe said he was disappointed with the attack.

"As we started our programme, Zanu-PF thugs arrived trying to disrupt us as we were at the flea market. We were addressing the people when we saw the Zanu-PF guys coming and they tried to disrupt me and tried to come and block me," he said.

"Our security tried to stop them but they went on to attack one of our security guys who was badly injured.

"We are in the process of taking Kudakwashe Chikwanha to hospital because he is bleeding. We are also trying to open dockets at the police station so that the people who did this may be arrested."

Chikwanha, who had blood oozing from a deep cut on the head, said members of TZ did nothing to provoke the Zanu-PF youths.

"We had a clean-up campaign which was cleared by police. When we were getting the final address at the flea market, Zanu-PF youths came and disrupted the meeting," he said.

"They started attacking our security people. When I tried to save some of our guys who were under siege, that is when I was hit by a broom on my head."

The injured were taken to Chitungwiza Hospital.

However, some Zanu-PF youths who were milling around the police station were adamant that TZ members had provoked them.

TZ leader Jacob Ngarivhume condemned the attack, saying the use of violence was retrogressive.

Ngarivhume said they would not be discouraged in their clean-up campaigns, which they launched about two weeks ago.

"Transform Zimbabwe believes that citizens must stop blaming but take concrete steps to deal with the serious issues facing the country," he said.

"The threat posed by uncollected baggage is huge and if unattended to, it can lead to huge loss of life."

"As such, we are encouraging citizens to take action and do whatever they can to help save the situation.

"We started cleaning our cities in Harare and this weekend we are following this up with our sustainability programme in our cities, which will see us picking up garbage every two weeks in all high-density suburbs."

Ngarivhume said they had assembled a team of volunteers from TZ who were organised to pick trash in all areas affected by typhoid in the capital.