Whange MP arrested during CDF project meeting

Fortune Daniel Molokela, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Member of Parliament for Hwange Central and a human rights lawyer, has been arrested by police in Whange while overseeing a Citizens' Development Forum (CDF) project. Molokela, who is also the founder of Molokele Law Chambers in Hwange, revealed the incident in a post on his Twitter account.

According to Molokela, police disrupted the CDF project implementation process, despite his explanation that the meeting was not a public gathering but part of ongoing development activities in his constituency. He said officers informed him that they were acting under strict orders to halt the CDF meeting.

"I tried to explain to them that this was not a public meeting, but they told me that they were under strict orders to stop the CDF project meeting," Molokela wrote. "I am now in a police vehicle heading to the Whange police station."

The arrest has raised concerns among opposition supporters and civil society groups, who argue that such actions may constitute intimidation of elected officials carrying out constituency development work. At the time of reporting, details regarding the grounds for Molokela's detention and whether he faces any formal charges were not yet available.

The Citizens' Development Forum, a body that oversees community development initiatives funded by MPs, has in the past faced interference in other constituencies, highlighting tensions between opposition representatives and State authorities.