Police in Gwanda have blocked the Mthwakazi Republic Party from conducting its sensitization march in the mining town.
Party’ spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo said after MRP successfully held its Sensitization Road Show in Bulawayo last month, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has decided not to allow them to proceed to other Mthwakazi provinces as planned.
“MRP had applied for clearance to hold another Sensitization road show in Gwanda town on the 8th of April 2017, before the police turned down our application. The police held three meetings with Nqgabutho Mpofu one of the Matabeleland South provincial executive members, and they told him that they can only allow MRP to hold a rally in stead of our planned road show,” he said.
“This is an infringement of our Rights, it is not for ZRP to teach us how to campaign, their job is to clear us or protect us while we do our political activities. The last meeting which was on Thursday the 7th of April was also attended by MRP Secretary General Hloniphani Ncube, the police still denied us the opportunity to exercise our Constitutional Rights. We view this as election rigging, we have always known that ZANU PF uses the state resources and its security personnel as its own members responsible for intimidating and manipulating election processes for the benefit of the satanic ZANU PF.”
We have since resolved as party that we are not moving an inch from our planned program of action which is the Nation wide Sensitisation road shows. We will soon be approaching the High courts.”
He said the biggest challenge that they face as the elections contesting parties is that ZANU PF is both the referee and the player.
“ZEC, ZRP, and the state controlled media among other government organs are like ZANU PF branches, same as youth and women league of ZANU PF. It is impossible to distinguish the difference between the mentioned state departments and ZANU PF, they are inseparable,” Gumbo said