Dzamara prayer organiser gets death threats

The prayer meeting for missing opposition activist, Itai Dzamara, which was scheduled for Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield, Harare today, has been called off after one of the organisers received death threats from suspected MDC-T supporters.

Reverend Watson Furayi - president of event organisers Zimbabwe Pastors' Fellowship - received calls on his mobile phone on Friday from callers who told him that his "days are numbered" after he called off the meeting citing attempts by the MDC-T to hijack the event.

Rev Furayi said: "We have decided to call the prayer meeting off owing to interference from politicians in the MDC-T who wanted to hijack the event for political ends.

"I received calls from a certain man who referred to himself as Nhokwara who told me my days were numbered. I then reported the matter at Dema Police Station."

Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi yesterday confirmed that Rev Furayi had made a complaint regarding the death threats adding that investigations on the matter were underway.

In a statement yesterday, MDC-T tried to shift blame for the cancellation to police. However, the police spokesperson said the ZRP had nothing to do with the withdrawal of the notification by the convenor.

"The ZRP had nothing to do with the withdrawal of the notification," he said.

Dzamara went missing in March and has not been seen since.