Zanu-PF calls its terror group to order

Zanu-PF has ordered its Harare province to reign-in Chipangano - a terror group based in Mbare - after admitting its activities were undermining the party's electoral chances in the capital.

National secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa ordered provincial chairman Amos Midzi to bring the militant youth group, which is said to be aligned to senior party officials, under control.

"We hear that there are some people who are harassing commuters and commuter operators in the name of the party," Mutasa said, admitting the group was losing the party support in city.

"Cde Midzi, if you tell me that you don't know that group, I will tell you that you are lying. Instead, I want to know what is not ending it."

Midzi said some of the alleged Chipangano members were just hooligans terrorising people in the name of Zanu-PF.

"The last time you called us to your office about this, we came back and we talked about it," he said.

"It is true that there are problems with these people, but there are others we don't know who go about and do bad things and they are labelled Zanu-PF.

The MDC-T has long accused Zanu-PF of using the group to terrorise its supporters while civic organisations have also expressed concern over its activities.

The group has mainly operated in impoverished suburb of Mbare for nearly a decade and faced allegations of beating up and evicting suspected MDC supporters from council flats.

Its gangs would also allegedly extort money from vendors and traders at Mupedzanhamo where people were forced to pay "protection fees" with those who refused banished from the popular markets.