Electoral Amendment Bill meeting abandoned due to violence threats

FOUR members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs had to run for life on Wednesday afternoon after a public consultation meeting on the Electoral Amendment Bill turned violent at Mucheke Hall in Masvingo.

The MPs, led by Uzumba House of Assembly representative Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (Zanu-PF), had to leave Mucheke Hall in a huff after some people in the crowd threatened to destroy their vehicles.

Zanu-PF Youth League deputy national political commissar Talent Majoni had his clothes torn after at least 20 youths mobbed him.

The youths threatened to assault him for questioning the transparency in the manner people were making their contributions.

Chaos erupted after the youths flooded the meeting with written contributions, raising the ire of their Zanu-PF counter-parts.

Mutare Central Member of the House of Assembly Mr Innocent Gonese (MDC-T) said they abandoned the meeting because of the violent threats.

"The meeting turned violent after some people wanted to restrict the submissions while blocking others," he said.

Mr Gonese said the committee would not convene another meeting at Mucheke Hall again.

"Some people who were apparently drunk stormed into the meeting and made unnecessary demands," he said.