Demonstration against Mphoko quashed by police

Scores of human rights activists under the banners of ROHR Zimbabwe, NAVUZ and TAJAMUKA held a peaceful demonstration today at the Rainbow Towers, the Harare 5 star hotel, where one of Zimbabwe's two Vice Presidents, Phelekezela Mphoko has stayed since December 2014.

The demonstrators were waving placards some of which read "Mphoko stop wasting taxpayers' money...", "Mari yehotera ngaipiwe kanzuro igadzire musika nemaroads" and chanting messages demanding that Mphoko and his family move out of hotel accommodation as soon as possible.

In no time, Riot Police arrived at the scene and attacked the demonstrators with baton sticks before violently bundling some of them, including their leader, Mr Stendrick Zvorwadza into Police trucks. The arrested demonstrators have been taken to a yet to be confirmed destination.



Phelekezela Mphoko's continued stay at the Rainbow Towers has cost the Zimbabwean Taxpayers in excess of $250 000.00 as at today. This has riled the Zimbabwean people and has been condemned by civic society and opposition politicians. This is especially considering that he has turned down offers to be accommodated in 3 high value properties sponsored by the Zimbabwean Government so far.

One of the houses Phelekezela Mphoko refused to move into is the one left by the late vice president Joseph Msika in Harare's leafy suburb of Mandara. The second one is a mansion worth $3m in Ballantyne Park, an affluent suburb of Harare. The third one is a $3.5m acquired in December last year by the Government of Zimbabwe in The Grange, another leafy suburb of Harare.

In all the three known instances where the Mphokos have rejected the offers of accommodation, Mphoko's wife, Laurinda, is said to have condemned the properties as substandard relative to the Vice President's stature.