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ZANU PF supporters disrupt meetings in Chinhoyi - COPAC Outreach Day 2
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
June 24, 2010

ZANU PF supporters today, 24 June 2010 disrupted outreach meetings in Chinhoyi prompting COPAC teams deployed to various centres to be recalled, The Convenor has learnt.

According to a member of COPAC who is stationed in Chinhoyi, all hell broke loose at 1130hrs today when an elderly ZANU PF supporter and four youths converged at Gadzema Domestic Signs Crèche, and demanded to know what the outreach team was doing in the area. Efforts to explain the constitution making process to the five by the COPAC team including a ZANU PF Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Gava proved fruitless as they accused members of the outreach team of using the constitution making process as a ploy to misuse donor funds.

'The five ZANU PF supporters started singing, 'Nyika yakauya neropa' (We sacrificed our lives to get independence). They then accused us of planning to benefit from resources obtained from 'imperialists. We had to abandon the meeting after the five vandalised one of our vehicles,' said the COPAC member who refused to be named. More than 100 community members, who had gathered for the meeting were forced to return to their homes.

Asked what COPAC would do in view of the obvious threat to the outreach program, the source said that two team leaders, Honourable Chidhakwa (ZANU PF) and Honourable Matamisa (MDC) had indicated that they would engage the political parties to reign in errant supporters. He however noted that he believed the problems were emanating from party leaders as there were cases of disruptions in Jongwe ward which is also in Chinhoyi. A monitor based in Chinhoyi also reported disruptions at Chikonohono Primary School while at Chaedza Hall about 50 people who attended the meeting refused to participate as there were no police officers present.

Meanwhile, monitoring teams deployed to Bindura (Mashonaland Central), Gweru (Midlands) and Chinhoyi (Mashonaland West) revealed that meetings in these areas had not begun by 12pm today. The Coalition's monitoring team in Mashonaland Central has indicated that an outreach meeting is currently taking place at Sarugado Stepping Stone early Learning Centre, Bindura. However, the monitors indicated that the meeting is highly polarised with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) supporters sitting on one side while ZANU PF supporters are sitting on the other side.

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