News / National
Notorious gang flees Mugabe rally
24 Jul 2017 at 08:42hrs | Views
Zanu-PF supporters on Friday turned on one of the suspected terror groups, forcing it to flee Lupane on Friday moments after an angry President Robert Mugabe had finished his address in which he disowned rogue youths terrorising ordinary citizens using his wife's name.
Mugabe was left seething with anger when he was briefed on how some Zanu-PF youths were using the name of the First Lady Grace in extorting poor ordinary Zimbabweans that he decided enough was enough by telling his supporters to deal with the terror gangs.
What upset Mugabe was that the terror groups were moving in vehicles with the pictures of his smiling wife in Zanu-PF regalia plastered on their doors –telling off police officers that they were doing this on behalf of the First Family and Zanu-PF.
On Friday, after he finished his address at the youth interface rally in Lupane, angry Zanu-PF supporters latched on to a yellow Hummer which was said to be part of the cars used by a group belonging to the Generation 40 faction - the Children of War Veterans Association (Cozwa) - some of whose members were recently floated on social media as kingpins of terror campaigns.
While there were reports that the yellow Hummer was stoned, its owner, a lady who only identified herself as Fiona, yesterday told the Daily News that they had been told to pull down all Grace's posters from their car and anything that relates to Zanu-PF.
"Firstly I want to stress that we have never terrorised anyone and if there are people who say we did that, why don't they report us to the police?
"I have since deleted everything on my car not because I am guilty of any offence but because they said I must," she told the Daily News .
However, Fiona denied that her car had been damaged insisting that "we arrived safely".
"The car is safe and I have not made any police report because I don't see the need to. About me quitting Cozwa, I have not made that pronouncement as of now," Fiona added.
Zanu-PF youth league secretary, Kudzanai Chipanga yesterday told the Daily News that he was worried that there were some other members of the group who were still posting negative messages on social media.
"We have information that some of them have complied with the directive to delete their messages but we also hear there is someone called Shoko who is posting nonsense on social media and we are going to stop him," Chipanga said.
On Friday, Mugabe spoke for the first time on these gangs following reports that communities were living in fear of the purported Zanu-PF youths who are operating with impunity.
"I hear there are groups that are going about tarnishing our image and that of the party; terrorising people in the name of the first lady and we should never allow criminals to do that," he said.
"Kick them out of the way when you see them; do that and do not wait for the police. Give them the punishment that they deserve and call the police later," Mugabe added.
Reports say the notorious "Al-Shabaab" group is on the prowl in Kwekwe, harassing residents and traders.
Named after the Somalia-based terrorist affiliate of al-Qaeda, fighting to turn the country into a fundamentalist Islamic State, Al-Shabaab has been blamed for many attacks in the troubled Midlands province.
In Harare's oldest high density suburb of Mbare, a group of Zanu-PF youths, known as Chipangano, is terrorising vendors at Mbare Musika by demanding substantial amounts of money to allow them to vend at the popular vending site.
Chipangano - loosely translated to mean an agreement or oath - is a terror group known for ruthlessly dealing with residents and members of the opposition.
It is believed to have started its operations in 1999 at the height of the food riots that were triggered by soaring prices of basic goods.
The resurfacing of the terror groups has heightened fears that the upcoming elections could see violence flaring up in key battlegrounds, as the main political actors - Zanu-PF and the MDC - go toe-to-toe in the election contest.
If taken seriously, Mugabe's remarks might lift the veil of impunity, with the long arm of the law finally catching up with these terror groups.
The opposition MDC has since condemned the surge in violence in the capital which saw its car and properties belonging to its senior officials being torched in suspected cases of arson by people believed to be from Zanu-PF.
Last Wednesday, the MDC demanded in Parliament that action be taken on the incidents the party described as acts of "thuggery".
"I would want the House to request the leader of the House today to issue a statement in relation to the rising political violence, which the country has witnessed over the past two weeks," Chitungwiza North Member of Parliament, Godfrey Sithole, said in the National Assembly.
On Tuesday night, MDC vice president, Elias Mudzuri's Dandaro bar in Harare was set ablaze.
On the same night, MDC councillor, Wilton Janjazi's house was also attacked. A car was also torched at a car park in Kuwadzana by what the MDC claimed were ‘‘Zanu-PF thugs".
Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo, claims these incidents were an "inside job", insinuating that the MDC was trying to gain sympathies by stage-managing the attacks.
Mugabe was left seething with anger when he was briefed on how some Zanu-PF youths were using the name of the First Lady Grace in extorting poor ordinary Zimbabweans that he decided enough was enough by telling his supporters to deal with the terror gangs.
What upset Mugabe was that the terror groups were moving in vehicles with the pictures of his smiling wife in Zanu-PF regalia plastered on their doors –telling off police officers that they were doing this on behalf of the First Family and Zanu-PF.
On Friday, after he finished his address at the youth interface rally in Lupane, angry Zanu-PF supporters latched on to a yellow Hummer which was said to be part of the cars used by a group belonging to the Generation 40 faction - the Children of War Veterans Association (Cozwa) - some of whose members were recently floated on social media as kingpins of terror campaigns.
While there were reports that the yellow Hummer was stoned, its owner, a lady who only identified herself as Fiona, yesterday told the Daily News that they had been told to pull down all Grace's posters from their car and anything that relates to Zanu-PF.
"Firstly I want to stress that we have never terrorised anyone and if there are people who say we did that, why don't they report us to the police?
"I have since deleted everything on my car not because I am guilty of any offence but because they said I must," she told the Daily News .
However, Fiona denied that her car had been damaged insisting that "we arrived safely".
"The car is safe and I have not made any police report because I don't see the need to. About me quitting Cozwa, I have not made that pronouncement as of now," Fiona added.
Zanu-PF youth league secretary, Kudzanai Chipanga yesterday told the Daily News that he was worried that there were some other members of the group who were still posting negative messages on social media.
"We have information that some of them have complied with the directive to delete their messages but we also hear there is someone called Shoko who is posting nonsense on social media and we are going to stop him," Chipanga said.
On Friday, Mugabe spoke for the first time on these gangs following reports that communities were living in fear of the purported Zanu-PF youths who are operating with impunity.
"I hear there are groups that are going about tarnishing our image and that of the party; terrorising people in the name of the first lady and we should never allow criminals to do that," he said.
Reports say the notorious "Al-Shabaab" group is on the prowl in Kwekwe, harassing residents and traders.
Named after the Somalia-based terrorist affiliate of al-Qaeda, fighting to turn the country into a fundamentalist Islamic State, Al-Shabaab has been blamed for many attacks in the troubled Midlands province.
In Harare's oldest high density suburb of Mbare, a group of Zanu-PF youths, known as Chipangano, is terrorising vendors at Mbare Musika by demanding substantial amounts of money to allow them to vend at the popular vending site.
Chipangano - loosely translated to mean an agreement or oath - is a terror group known for ruthlessly dealing with residents and members of the opposition.
It is believed to have started its operations in 1999 at the height of the food riots that were triggered by soaring prices of basic goods.
The resurfacing of the terror groups has heightened fears that the upcoming elections could see violence flaring up in key battlegrounds, as the main political actors - Zanu-PF and the MDC - go toe-to-toe in the election contest.
If taken seriously, Mugabe's remarks might lift the veil of impunity, with the long arm of the law finally catching up with these terror groups.
The opposition MDC has since condemned the surge in violence in the capital which saw its car and properties belonging to its senior officials being torched in suspected cases of arson by people believed to be from Zanu-PF.
Last Wednesday, the MDC demanded in Parliament that action be taken on the incidents the party described as acts of "thuggery".
"I would want the House to request the leader of the House today to issue a statement in relation to the rising political violence, which the country has witnessed over the past two weeks," Chitungwiza North Member of Parliament, Godfrey Sithole, said in the National Assembly.
On Tuesday night, MDC vice president, Elias Mudzuri's Dandaro bar in Harare was set ablaze.
On the same night, MDC councillor, Wilton Janjazi's house was also attacked. A car was also torched at a car park in Kuwadzana by what the MDC claimed were ‘‘Zanu-PF thugs".
Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo, claims these incidents were an "inside job", insinuating that the MDC was trying to gain sympathies by stage-managing the attacks.
Source - dailynews
