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ZRP is not above the law: MP Molokele
1 hr ago |
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Hwange Central legislator Daniel Molokele has said the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) acted unlawfully when they disrupted a Constituency Development Fund (CDF) committee meeting and arrested him without charge.
In a statement, Molokele said what was meant to be a routine progress‑review meeting for the Hwange Central CDF Committee was “rudely and arbitrarily” interrupted by plain‑clothed police officers.
“This high‑handed act was neither fair nor lawful. The police officers refused to show us their official identity cards. They also did not produce any authoritative document to justify their disruptive behaviour,” he said.
Molokele said he and other committee members explained that the gathering was a private meeting by invitation and therefore did not fall under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA). However, the officers allegedly insisted they were acting under strict instructions to stop the meeting.
“We did our best to reason amicably with them but it was all in vain. In the end, our CDF Committee meeting was stopped arbitrarily,” he said.
Molokele said he was then arrested without being informed of any specific charge and taken to Hwange Central Police Station, where he was made to wait for several hours while officers sought further instructions.
He was later taken to the office of the Superintendent for Law and Order, accompanied by lawyer Tiffany Sibanda from Dube, Nkala and Company, representing him on instruction from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
“After being forced to answer several questions ostensibly to clarify the purpose of our disrupted CDF Committee meeting, I was released without being charged at all,” he said.
Molokele said police later claimed they had received a “serious tip‑off” that unidentified individuals planned to hijack the meeting for a different agenda.
“We hereby unequivocally condemn the unfair and unlawful conduct of the ZRP. The ZRP is mandated by our national Constitution to maintain law and order and is not supposed to behave above the law,” he said.
“The ZRP is obligated to serve the citizens of Zimbabwe and not harass them or violate their rights.”
In a statement, Molokele said what was meant to be a routine progress‑review meeting for the Hwange Central CDF Committee was “rudely and arbitrarily” interrupted by plain‑clothed police officers.
“This high‑handed act was neither fair nor lawful. The police officers refused to show us their official identity cards. They also did not produce any authoritative document to justify their disruptive behaviour,” he said.
Molokele said he and other committee members explained that the gathering was a private meeting by invitation and therefore did not fall under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA). However, the officers allegedly insisted they were acting under strict instructions to stop the meeting.
“We did our best to reason amicably with them but it was all in vain. In the end, our CDF Committee meeting was stopped arbitrarily,” he said.
Molokele said he was then arrested without being informed of any specific charge and taken to Hwange Central Police Station, where he was made to wait for several hours while officers sought further instructions.
He was later taken to the office of the Superintendent for Law and Order, accompanied by lawyer Tiffany Sibanda from Dube, Nkala and Company, representing him on instruction from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
“After being forced to answer several questions ostensibly to clarify the purpose of our disrupted CDF Committee meeting, I was released without being charged at all,” he said.
Molokele said police later claimed they had received a “serious tip‑off” that unidentified individuals planned to hijack the meeting for a different agenda.
“We hereby unequivocally condemn the unfair and unlawful conduct of the ZRP. The ZRP is mandated by our national Constitution to maintain law and order and is not supposed to behave above the law,” he said.
“The ZRP is obligated to serve the citizens of Zimbabwe and not harass them or violate their rights.”
Source - Byo24news
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