News / National
Chamisa's youths turn burial into a rally, threaten Zanu-PF councillors
28 Aug 2020 at 19:42hrs | Views
MDC Alliance youths exhibited their propensity for violence when they barred and threatened to beat up seven Zanu-PF councillors for Karoi Town Council, including the chairperson, Cllr Abel Matsika who wanted to attend the burial of a colleague MDC-A Karoi Ward 4 Councillor, Lavender Chiwaya (34) on Wednesday.
The seven were forced to follow proceedings from a distance after MDC-A youths barred them from approaching the grave and also prevented Cllr Matsika from addressing the mourners on behalf of council.
The MDC-A supporters are alleging that Chiwaya, the party's Hurungwe Central chairperson, who was found dead last Friday four houses away from his home, was murdered by state security agents despite post-mortem reports revealing otherwise. Police also announced that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The seven, who worked with the late MDC-A councillor had made contributions towards the burial and also accompanied the body to Harare for a post mortem.
Cllr Matsika told The Herald that they were forced to leave midway through the burial since the situation was degenerating into a rally and that the behaviour of the youths was totally at variance with the late Chiwaya's character.
"The youths barred us from accessing the grave site. I then asked to be given a chance to speak on behalf of the council before we leave and they refused," he said.
"Chiwaya was a civic leader who belonged to MDC-A but he never took his political affiliation to work and endeared himself with people from different social classes, which explains why a lot of people and not only from his party, turned up to bury him."
Chiwaya was elected councillor in 2008 when he was 22. He is survived by his wife and five children.
The seven were forced to follow proceedings from a distance after MDC-A youths barred them from approaching the grave and also prevented Cllr Matsika from addressing the mourners on behalf of council.
The MDC-A supporters are alleging that Chiwaya, the party's Hurungwe Central chairperson, who was found dead last Friday four houses away from his home, was murdered by state security agents despite post-mortem reports revealing otherwise. Police also announced that they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The seven, who worked with the late MDC-A councillor had made contributions towards the burial and also accompanied the body to Harare for a post mortem.
Cllr Matsika told The Herald that they were forced to leave midway through the burial since the situation was degenerating into a rally and that the behaviour of the youths was totally at variance with the late Chiwaya's character.
"The youths barred us from accessing the grave site. I then asked to be given a chance to speak on behalf of the council before we leave and they refused," he said.
"Chiwaya was a civic leader who belonged to MDC-A but he never took his political affiliation to work and endeared himself with people from different social classes, which explains why a lot of people and not only from his party, turned up to bury him."
Chiwaya was elected councillor in 2008 when he was 22. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Source - the herald
