MDC youths on high alert

MDC youths in Kwekwe district yesterday said they were on high alert following recent cases of torture and abductions in the city, which saw one opposition party member being murdered by a suspected Zanu-PF-linked terror gang.

Searchmore Muringani, MDC Midlands provincial deputy spokesperson, told Southern Eye that youth leaders from Mbizo, Kwekwe Central and Redcliff would meet this weekend to find ways of dealing with the resurgence of politically-motivated violence.

"Following the terror campaign by youths aligned to Zanu-PF against our activists last week, we have decided to put our members on high alert. Lately, we have seen violence that has led to loss of life. So, our members need to be on the defensive. We are currently ensuring that all our members' whereabouts are known. We are discouraging them from moving around as individuals," he said.

"We are going to hold a meeting this weekend, where the party youths will devise ways of defending themselves from the terror gang. People of Midlands deserve peace, freedom and happiness, but we feel unsafe due to the recent cases of violence."

Last week, MDC Midlands youth chairperson Sekai Marashe was brutally attacked by youths clad in Zanu regalia after being abducted from Russel bus terminus where she was waiting for a consignment of party flyers from Gweru. She was allegedly dragged to the Zanu-PF office where she was tortured and left for dead. The matter is being investigated by Kwekwe Central Police Station under case number DR 110/0819.

"As the MDC, we are going to try and forge unity here in Kwekwe because even the militant young people who are being used to terrorise opposition activists need to be liberated from the bondage being placed on them by poverty," Muringani said.

Joseph Kadozo (21) was allegedly murdered by a terror gang known as Al-Shabaab last week. The terror group is also said to have seized MDC Mbizo's parliamentary constituency offices and blocked MP Settlement Chikwinya from accessing the premises.

Mbizo ward 3 chairperson Alfonse Mugwagwa was also allegedly waylaid on his way to work on Friday last week and assaulted by members of the group.

Cornelia Mupereri, the Zanu-PF Midlands provincial spokesperson, said the youths allegedly causing terror in Kwekwe did not belong to his party.

Meanwhile, MDC Chiredzi district assembly has postponed its elections which were slated for Sunday for the fourth time after failing to get police clearance.

MDC national organising secretary Amos Chibaya said the elections were postponed after his party failed to seek police clearance on time.

"We are yet to come up with a new date as you are aware that we had to postpone last Sunday's scheduled election because police said we had not notify them on time.

"I will have to contact the province so that they come up with a new date. The district assembly election for Chiredzi West should be held as soon as possible. We cannot afford to operate without a leadership in that district," Chibaya said.

The Chiredzi district congress has been postponed several times due to intra-party violence.