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Tsvangirai to confront uncle Bob over partisan police
31 Oct 2011 at 07:39hrs | Views
Tsvangirai and Mugabe are set for showdown talks during their meeting today over the partisan manner in which police have been disrupting his government business and rallies, as tensions in the loose coalition government intensify.
Tsvangirai was barred from holding a rally in Victoria Falls yesterday after police sealed the entrance to Chinotimba Stadium. Police prevented Tsvangirai from holding the rally despite the fact that the courts had granted him permission to hold such meetings.
On Saturday, police disrupted MDC-T rallies in Matebeleland North despite a court order that the meetings could go ahead.
Information gleaned from MDC-T officials indicated that more than 30 anti-riot police officers, armed to the teeth, ordered the cancellation of a rally in Lupane and Binga in which party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai was due to address.
Menacing police officers arrived in a number of trucks and threatened to shoot people in Binga as well, where masses had gathered to listen to Tsvangirai.
The police officers told the expectant crowd and MDC-T officials that they had not come to negotiate and were neither obligated to follow court orders, MDC-T officials said.
Police are reported to have said the court order was fake and that they only took instructions from their boss. A distressed Tabitha Khumalo, the MDC-T deputy spokesperson, described the mood as tense in Lupane, saying people feared that police could unleash violence and arrest their supporters.
Tsvangirai was barred from holding a rally in Victoria Falls yesterday after police sealed the entrance to Chinotimba Stadium. Police prevented Tsvangirai from holding the rally despite the fact that the courts had granted him permission to hold such meetings.
On Saturday, police disrupted MDC-T rallies in Matebeleland North despite a court order that the meetings could go ahead.
Information gleaned from MDC-T officials indicated that more than 30 anti-riot police officers, armed to the teeth, ordered the cancellation of a rally in Lupane and Binga in which party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai was due to address.
Menacing police officers arrived in a number of trucks and threatened to shoot people in Binga as well, where masses had gathered to listen to Tsvangirai.
The police officers told the expectant crowd and MDC-T officials that they had not come to negotiate and were neither obligated to follow court orders, MDC-T officials said.
Police are reported to have said the court order was fake and that they only took instructions from their boss. A distressed Tabitha Khumalo, the MDC-T deputy spokesperson, described the mood as tense in Lupane, saying people feared that police could unleash violence and arrest their supporters.
Source - Standard
