Zimbabwe soldiers 'discipline' cops in Harare

Soldiers whipped and clubbed police officers even as they lay on the ground in violent unrest on Tuesday night stirred by resentment over the use of police spikes.

While both the army and the police have not provided a reason or issued statements on the incident, witnesses said the soldiers were retaliating after traffic police officers used an iron bar bristling with spikes to deflate vehicle tyres of an army officer who was alleged to have committed a traffic offence.

National police spokesperson Charity Charamba referred the Daily News to Harare provincial spokesperson Simon Chazovachii, whose phone was unreachable the whole day.

Army spokesperson Alphios Makotore mobile phone was out of reach as well.

Witnesses described scenes in which whip-wielding soldiers dragged police officers lying on the street, while clubbing and stamping on them.

"I was standing at a bar in Rezende close to Robert Mugabe and saw a troop of soldiers clearing Robert Mugabe Road, beating police officers ruthlessly; they had apparently started doing that around Mbuya Nehanda Street.

"I was holding my beer and saw the road being cleared by at least 100 black berets with huge sticks. Traffic police or any police officer was being disciplined accordingly," one of the witnesses said.

Opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) denounced the violence.

"Spike wielding policemen are now holding citizens at ransom, in many instances, lives have been lost," PDP spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.

"The temptation is to celebrate the defeat of the police officers by the army with all its might. This is rather a sad development, a sign of how dangerous our society has become."