15 Activists arrested MDC N

Zimbabwean police on Monday arrested 15 activists from the MDC-N party in Tsholotsho South district of Matabeleland North province, claiming they had conducted an ‘illegal’ meeting. But the MDC-N has contradicted the police version, saying their officials were on a door-to-door membership recruitment drive and did not need permission from the police. Party spokesman Nhlanhla Dube told SW Radio Africa their officials were working mostly in pairs, and not more than three people would approach each location. He said this does not constitute a meeting and the police are simply trying to frustrate their efforts to recruit. “This morning we sent a team of lawyers and officials to try and evaluate the situation, but they were not allowed to see them. We had to involve JOMIC to make sure that they were being treated well,” Dube explained. The JOMIC team, which has been monitoring the situation on the ground ahead of elections, discovered the arrested officials had not been given any food since their arrest on Monday. Food was provided by the party on Tuesday afternoon. The officials in detention are the MDC-N provincial spokesman Minutewell Ncube, Matabeleland North secretary Robert Mgezelwa Ndlovu and councilors Petros Mahonondo, Abel Dube and Rhoda Ncube. Dube said police claimed they were trying to locate the investigating officer before they decide how to proceed. “This is a ploy to delay their discussion with lawyers so that our people get to spend another night in police cells, as a way to frustrate them and keep them from their work,” Dube said. The group is being charged under the controversial Public Order and Security Act (POSA), which requires that the police simply be notified of any public gatherings. But the police have taken a partisan stance over the years, banning meetings by the MDC formations while allowing ZANU PF to hold impromptu meetings without police notifications. “This is why we insist it is not time yet to hold national elections in Zimbabwe. They know if we were allowed to function without hindrance we would consolidate our membership and make an impact at election time,” Dube explained.