News / National
Tsvangirai's close ally arrested over Zanu-PF office bombing
30 Oct 2013 at 11:26hrs | Views
Abisha Nyanguwo, the MDC-T Chief of Staff, was yesterday detained for over eight hours at the Harare Central Police Station's Law and Order section where he was quizzed over his involvement with the arson attack on the Zanu-PF Highfield sub-offices.
According to Nyanguwo, the police officers came looking for him at his Harare residence in the early hours of Sunday but he was not there. They left a message that he should come to the Law and Order section on Tuesday.
He went to the police station yesterday in the company of his lawyer, Aleck Muchadehama where he was told that his name was being mentioned by some identified informers into the bombing of the Zanu-PF offices on 28 September.
He was made to sign a warned and cautioned statement before he was released in the evening and told to come to back on Thursday.
"Of course I denied the charges as I have nothing to do with Zanu-PF and let alone attack them or their offices," he said.
In 2012, Nyanguwo was arrested and spent a month in remand prison on similar false charges that he was involved in the bombing of Zanu-PF offices in Gweru in December, 2011. He was later acquitted of the charges.
The Chief of Staff said he hoped that his latest arrest is not part of a broader agenda to associate anyone in the MDC-T with the Zanu-PF Highfield bombing.
Last week, James Chidhakwa, a member of the National Youth Assembly was arrested on similar charges and was only released after three days as the police could not establish his link to the bombing of the Zanu-PF offices.
In a statement, the MDC-T said: "The MDC maintains that it is a peace loving party and will never be involved in clandestine activities such as the destruction of property. Our position is that the bombing of its Highfields office is part of infighting and factionalism in Zanu-PF ahead of its conference and the provincial elections where they are failing to hold the elections in a peaceful, free and fair manner."
According to Nyanguwo, the police officers came looking for him at his Harare residence in the early hours of Sunday but he was not there. They left a message that he should come to the Law and Order section on Tuesday.
He went to the police station yesterday in the company of his lawyer, Aleck Muchadehama where he was told that his name was being mentioned by some identified informers into the bombing of the Zanu-PF offices on 28 September.
He was made to sign a warned and cautioned statement before he was released in the evening and told to come to back on Thursday.
In 2012, Nyanguwo was arrested and spent a month in remand prison on similar false charges that he was involved in the bombing of Zanu-PF offices in Gweru in December, 2011. He was later acquitted of the charges.
The Chief of Staff said he hoped that his latest arrest is not part of a broader agenda to associate anyone in the MDC-T with the Zanu-PF Highfield bombing.
Last week, James Chidhakwa, a member of the National Youth Assembly was arrested on similar charges and was only released after three days as the police could not establish his link to the bombing of the Zanu-PF offices.
In a statement, the MDC-T said: "The MDC maintains that it is a peace loving party and will never be involved in clandestine activities such as the destruction of property. Our position is that the bombing of its Highfields office is part of infighting and factionalism in Zanu-PF ahead of its conference and the provincial elections where they are failing to hold the elections in a peaceful, free and fair manner."
Source - Byo24News