|
Back to Index
Police
leave bullets, admit 'main agenda' to rise and change government
Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
June 23, 2011
High Court Judge
Nicholas Mathonsi ruled on 20 June 2011 that Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP) officers who had forcefully
occupied the Suburbs WOZA property should vacate and restore
its full use to the organisation. WOZA monitored the situation and
observed the police leave after 5:30pm on the 21st June. A cream
double cab came and dropped off a short young officer known to WOZA
members and after sometime came back to collect this detective in
plain clothes and 2 uniformed details. They left the keys with the
tenant stating that police officers were no longer allowed in the
property.
WOZA leaders
decided to enter the property and verify the state it had been left
it and to remove the Ford pick-up that had been in the yard since
the raid. A group of six entered the property through the kitchen
door and was overcome by a strong smell in the kitchen, which caused
them to start gagging. The house was quickly closed and the vehicle
was driven to a place of safety for the night. Three members immediately
began to feel ill with dizziness; vomiting and diahorrea. The next
morning the vehicle was offloaded and two bullets (38 mm pistol)
were discovered with a metal object that looks like a bearing.
All six members
then returned to the house and in the company of human rights lawyers
and journalists determined that the smell was still present and
further investigation throughout the house revealed more 'planted'
material.
Inexplicably
WOZA solidarity cards received from Amnesty members worldwide were
removed out of their envelopes and replaced with condoms, both male
and female.
A one page document
entitled 'Main Agenda' had been planted with other WOZA material
such as democracy, constitution books that members conduct civic
education around. Several copies of this publication were also placed
in the document folders of members who had been in the house at
the time of the raid.
The state of
the house was clearly consistent with information previously obtained
on the first day that 20 to 30 plain-clothes officers had searched
the house.
The fireplace
in the lounge shows that something was put up the chimney as there
was black ash all over the lounge floor.
At first count
many documents and two mobile phones, all food in the house is missing
in defiance of the High Court order that nothing must be removed.
By 11am, members
started to feel very ill and one member fainted and had to be rushed
to hospital so the house was closed up once again.
One member spent
the day admitted and on a drip and seven other members were treated
and discharged. When attending the private hospital, one journalist
was also being attended with the same symptoms. Headache; dizziness
and disorientation, weak limbs, nausea and diahorrea. The doctors
prescribed antibiotics and anti-histamines for all those who attended.
It should be
noted that police officers chased away a lawyer who attended the
scene of the raid within 15minutes and that our court application
was taken on the basis that no legitimate search could be conducted
days after the invasion and it was stated that there was real fear
that materials would be 'planted'. Our worst fears were realised
by the bullets and other metal objects, documents and condoms planted
at the scene. A letter of complaint has been sent to the police
and court.
We also note
that had our national coordinator Jenni Williams who is the official
organisation representative had attended the house as was constantly
demanded over the 12 day invasion period, she would be facing fabricated
'Treason' charges. It was not out of guilt that Williams and others
left through the back door on the day of the raid but out of knowing
the track record of the police officers at the gate and years of
members being harassed, threatened, abducted by Law and Order police
officers namely George Levison Ngwenya, Lindani Mpofu, Zenzo Moyo
and female officer S. G. Ndlovu, known as MaNdlo other whose surnames
are Chikango, Nkomo, Chuchu.
Despite knowing
their track record, they have stooped even lower than we imagined
by poisoning us which is chemical warfare and by fabricating a document.
However, their
words ring true in the words they wrote - "People of Zimbabwe
we have been oppressed for a long time because we did not know about
our right and international obligations. We have lost ubuntu. Dignity
and respect because of the type of leadership we have. They are
corrupt. They are stealing from people to make themselves rich.
We are tired of President Mugabe and he must go by all means. He
is full of abuse of power with his ministers. He has no respect
of law. (His own laws and International Laws).
They go on to
confirm their deepest desires by saying, "Everyone wants him
out. Let's all rise and remove him now. When the date is fixed you
will be told. We will do it. Others have done it in Libya, Sudan,
Tunisia and Egypt."
WOZA members
stand firmly behind their founder and national coordinator Jenni
Williams and 'praise the lord' for saving her from these fabricated
charges. Williams and WOZA members are committed to a nonviolent
struggle and do not believe that bullets can deliver dignity and
true independence for all Zimbabweans to enjoy equally. We think
that if anyone should be facing Treason charges it is the police
officers named above who wrote the 'main agenda' document. But as
mothers of the nation and through mothers' eyes we understand that
they are finally speaking the truth - we send them our love and
say keep speaking out. We will expect their active support when
Zimbabweans do what they have suggested in their Zimbabwe Republic
Police 'main agenda'.
Visit
the WOZA fact
sheet
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|