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Dead policeman described as notorious thug by vendors
Lance Guma, SW Radio Africa
June 01, 2011

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news010611/deadpoliceman010611.htm

A policeman killed on Sunday at a night club in Glen View was a notorious thug who robbed vendors of their wares, demanded bribes and was deeply unpopular in the area, listeners interviewed by SW Radio Africa have said.

According to the police version of events Inspector Petros Mutedza and his colleague went to "investigate" a so-called "illegal" meeting which MDC-T youths were alleged to be holding at the Glen View 3 Shopping Centre. Once at the venue the two officers, in plain clothes, were allegedly attacked with chairs and bricks, fatally wounding Mutedza and seriously wounding his colleague.

But listeners on our Callback programme told us a different version of events. They said the 42 year old Inspector Mutedza has a long history of demanding bribes and confiscating goods and is so openly corrupt he has managed to amass enough wealth to own a fleet of minibuses in Harare.

They say that on Sunday he was involved in an argument with a vendor at the bar. Two unidentified men who overheard the altercation intervened, telling Mutedza he was a problem in the community and should stop harassing vendors. Mutedza responded by slapping one of them in the face, much to the anger of the other vendors who were drinking beer nearby. A brawl broke out and the vendors started beating him and his colleague, using garden chairs and rocks.

A group of MDC-T youths having a barbecue nearby actually came to the rescue of the policemen who were being beaten up. An eyewitness told SW Radio Africa if it had not been for the MDC-T youths the other policeman, who escaped with injuries, would surely have died at the hands of the furious vendors. Ironically some of these MDC-T youths have been arrested by the police.

On Wednesday, MDC-T Minister and MP Elton Mangoma told SW Radio Africa that any loss of life is regrettable. He however made the point that it was the policemen who went into the beer hall to beat up people drinking beer. "When someone is assaulted by patrons in a beer hall, it cannot be attributed to our party. But we see that ZANU PF is trying to make capital out of it and obviously some elements in the police force are feeding on it to express their own views."

Mangoma said over 3,000 MDC-T supporters were targeted in the run up to the one man presidential election run-off in 2008 and hundreds were killed but not a single arrest was made. He said they expected the same enthusiasm police were showing in this case to also be shown in investigating the perpetrators of the 2008 violence. So far 20 MDC-T supporters have been arrested since Sunday, most of whom were nowhere near the crime scene.

Party Secretary General Tendai Biti convened a press conference on Wednesday and called on the police to investigate the murder in an "impartial, non- partisan and professional" manner. He said this was the only way that the true perpetrators of this crime can be brought to book. "Typically, before any investigations could be instituted in this matter, the police through its spokesperson, rushed to the national press to blame and condemn the MDC-T," Biti said.

Biti said the MDC-T activists arrested have not been allowed access to their lawyers and some of them, like Last Maengahama, have been brutally assaulted and are being denied medical treatment. Biti said it was also "clear that some ZANU PF elements in the police are using this unfortunate incident to try to convince SADC that MDC-T is a violent Party."

Confirming the eye witness accounts received by SW Radio Africa Biti called upon "the police to look at such things as the relationship between the deceased officer and the members of the public in that area."

Below is the list of confirmed MDC members who are in custody;

• Last Maengahama
• Stanley Maengahama
• Edison Maengahama
• Lazarus Maengahama
• Cynthia Manjoro and her unidentified brother
• Odius Chitanda
• Lloyd Chitanda
• Precious Chitanda
• Councillor Tungamirai Madzokere
• Mavis Madzokere
• Ollyn Madzokere
• Stefan Takaedzwa
• Benjamin Majecha

SW Radio Africa is Zimbabwe's Independent Voice and broadcasts on Short Wave 4880 KHz in the 60m band.

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