No democracy here
Here’s a press release from COTRAD in Masvingo:
Masvingo – In the early hours of today around 2am Zimbabwe Election Support Network(ZESN) offices were besieged by two Nissan Hard body trucks without number plates at their Hofmeyer Offices in Masvingo. Party of the contingent seized the security guard who is always manning the premises and tricked him that they were ZESN officials from Harare and were rushing to Chiredzi to implement a program. The unidentified men did not break any window but used bolt cater to open the doors. The unidentified trucks likened to the Central Intelligent Organization confiscated One desk top which is usually used by the provincial ZESN Accountant and contains all the ZESN financial transactions, Eight Chairs and close to Sixty T-shirts from the office. COTRAD views this as the continued crackdown on NGOS and targeting ngos to do with election related programing.The investigation team that has been sent to cover the matter was heavily composed of the members of the Central Intelligence Organization some of them who also disrupted a ZESN meeting a fortnight ago at Nyuni Mountain Lodge.
Meanwhile in Gutu Central Constituency a COTRAD activist Albert Musvosvo was on Sunday 16 February 2013 around 5pm kidnapped and assaulted by Zanu PF youth militia led by Mukotami who is the ward 17 chairperson for Gutu Central Constituency. Musvosvo was assaulted for mobilizing a public meeting that was conducted by COTRAD in Gutu Central Constituency on Saturday 15 February 2013. Musvosvo lost two front teeth and was treated at Gutu Mission Hospital.
Matter was reported to Bhasera police base in Gutu Central Constituency.
The political environment is heating up in Masvingo, the involvement of security forces in the crackdown is a cause of concern and serve to point that elections in Zimbabwe will be marred by violence.
COTRAD INFORMATION DEPARTMENT