News / Regional
MDC-T top youth official hands self to police
01 Aug 2016 at 18:47hrs | Views
MDC-T National Youth Organising Secretary and a member of the Beitbridge Combined Residents Association Morgan Ncube is handing himself to the police tomorrow in connection with violent Beitbridge border post protests last month..
Bulawayo24.com understands that police have been hunting for Ncube.
He managed to sneak out of the border town but people found in his home have been harassed and property damaged by the police as they search for him.
Below a statement from Restoration of Human Rights Matabeleland South :
Ref: Mr Morgan Ncube
On the 1st of July 2016, Zimbabweans resident in Beitbridge and cross border traders from across the country who were at the border at that time, went on a demonstration against government's arbitrarily introduced statutory instrument 64/2016 which immediately banned a cross section of goods from being imported into the country.
Of key note is that 85% of the listed goods are basic commodities which Zimbabweans acquire from South Africa and Botswana for their daily needs or which cross border traders bring in for resale into the local market at a more affordable price than the locally produced goods.
The demonstration which was initially peaceful turned violent, violence which the demonstrators claim was ignited by the hard hand of police officers deployed to control the crowd.
Public and private properties were subsequently destroyed by the protestors. Major destruction being the ZIMRA warehouse in the town which was set alight.
In the aftermath, police raided the residents of Beitbridge town and at least twenty of them were arrested and most of them are currently out on bail.
The Restoration Of Human Rights International Matabeleland South Chapter visited the area immediately after the demonstration to assess the level of reported human rights abuses on residents and travellers that followed as police officers tried to fish out people suspected to have been involved in the violence.
ROHR managed to get in touch with a number of the accused persons and picked up their stories. They all reported varied cases of displeasure at the processes leading to their arrests.
In the process we also encountered families of several people who were heavily attacked by the police as they looked for the people they suspected to have been involved in the demonstration.
Some of these people managed to find their way out of Beitbridge town before police could brutalise them or were out of Beitbridge altogether at the time of the demonstration or when the police came hunting for them.
Included among the cases of such people who up to today are still being hunted by the police is former Beitbridge Town Councillor for ward 3 Mr Morgan Ncube who is also National Youth Organising Secretary for the opposition Movement For Democratic Change Tsvangirai and a member of the Beitbridge Combined Residents Association.
Mr Ncube is also the immediate last MDCT candidate for Beitbridge Easter against incumbent Hon Kembo Mohadi who is also Minister of State Security.
Ncube has been out of Beitbridge town since the day of the demonstration and police officers have been to his home several times looking for him.
In the process of trying to get him, we have been provided with reports that the people found in his home have been harassed and property damaged by the police as they search for him.
As ROHR Mat South, we have managed to get contact with Mr Ncube and listened to his case.
In order to bring closure to his case and give him peace of mind, ROHR has managed to convince Mr Ncube to hand himself over to the police in Beitbridge.
We have also in the process managed to link him with the Lawyers For Human Rights in Bulawayo who he has since met and got legal counseling and advice.
A Beitbridge based human rights lawyer has since been seconded to him.
ROHR would therefore like to inform fellow human rights activists and other interested groupings that Mr Ncube will be handing himself over to the police in Beitbridge tomorrow Tuesday 2 August 2016 in the company of his lawyer and with all the support from the Restoration Of Human Rights.
We hope that he will have his day in court on Wednesday morning or latest Thursday morning.
The Restoration Of Human Rights Matabeleland South wishes Mr Ncube all the best as he goes through with the matter.
We want to commend him for his bravery and understanding that there was never going to be a closure to his matter other than facing his day at court.
We want to assure him that ROHR will be right behind him all the way and pray for the best consideration of his matter.
Bulawayo24.com understands that police have been hunting for Ncube.
Below a statement from Restoration of Human Rights Matabeleland South :
Ref: Mr Morgan Ncube
On the 1st of July 2016, Zimbabweans resident in Beitbridge and cross border traders from across the country who were at the border at that time, went on a demonstration against government's arbitrarily introduced statutory instrument 64/2016 which immediately banned a cross section of goods from being imported into the country.
Of key note is that 85% of the listed goods are basic commodities which Zimbabweans acquire from South Africa and Botswana for their daily needs or which cross border traders bring in for resale into the local market at a more affordable price than the locally produced goods.
The demonstration which was initially peaceful turned violent, violence which the demonstrators claim was ignited by the hard hand of police officers deployed to control the crowd.
Public and private properties were subsequently destroyed by the protestors. Major destruction being the ZIMRA warehouse in the town which was set alight.
In the aftermath, police raided the residents of Beitbridge town and at least twenty of them were arrested and most of them are currently out on bail.
The Restoration Of Human Rights International Matabeleland South Chapter visited the area immediately after the demonstration to assess the level of reported human rights abuses on residents and travellers that followed as police officers tried to fish out people suspected to have been involved in the violence.
ROHR managed to get in touch with a number of the accused persons and picked up their stories. They all reported varied cases of displeasure at the processes leading to their arrests.
In the process we also encountered families of several people who were heavily attacked by the police as they looked for the people they suspected to have been involved in the demonstration.
Some of these people managed to find their way out of Beitbridge town before police could brutalise them or were out of Beitbridge altogether at the time of the demonstration or when the police came hunting for them.
Included among the cases of such people who up to today are still being hunted by the police is former Beitbridge Town Councillor for ward 3 Mr Morgan Ncube who is also National Youth Organising Secretary for the opposition Movement For Democratic Change Tsvangirai and a member of the Beitbridge Combined Residents Association.
Mr Ncube is also the immediate last MDCT candidate for Beitbridge Easter against incumbent Hon Kembo Mohadi who is also Minister of State Security.
Ncube has been out of Beitbridge town since the day of the demonstration and police officers have been to his home several times looking for him.
In the process of trying to get him, we have been provided with reports that the people found in his home have been harassed and property damaged by the police as they search for him.
As ROHR Mat South, we have managed to get contact with Mr Ncube and listened to his case.
In order to bring closure to his case and give him peace of mind, ROHR has managed to convince Mr Ncube to hand himself over to the police in Beitbridge.
We have also in the process managed to link him with the Lawyers For Human Rights in Bulawayo who he has since met and got legal counseling and advice.
A Beitbridge based human rights lawyer has since been seconded to him.
ROHR would therefore like to inform fellow human rights activists and other interested groupings that Mr Ncube will be handing himself over to the police in Beitbridge tomorrow Tuesday 2 August 2016 in the company of his lawyer and with all the support from the Restoration Of Human Rights.
We hope that he will have his day in court on Wednesday morning or latest Thursday morning.
The Restoration Of Human Rights Matabeleland South wishes Mr Ncube all the best as he goes through with the matter.
We want to commend him for his bravery and understanding that there was never going to be a closure to his matter other than facing his day at court.
We want to assure him that ROHR will be right behind him all the way and pray for the best consideration of his matter.
Source - Byo24News
