Approximately 50, heavily armed riot police raid ZAPU Party Regional Headquarters in Bulawayo

In what was a vivid reminder of the early 1980s Gukurahundi that was waged on ZAPU by Robert Mugabe’s ZANU, anti riot police in Bulawayo today raided ZAPU Party Regional Headquarters.

The police, who used force and abusive language, ordered every one out of the offices in Shona, including staff.

ZAPU wonders which law gave the anti riot police the right, authority and powers to invade our offices and behave in the manner they did, especially bearing in mind that our office place is a private property.

The police were heavily armed, with guns, tear gas and dogs. They totally surrounded the offices before entering and bundled the occupants out.

Over fifty anti riot officers invaded the offices, with all roads surrounding the office premises sealed off.ZAPU members, who had come for the aborted constitutional reforms demonstrations complied and left the offices without resistance, showing beyond any reasonable doubt that ZAPU is a party of law abiding citizens who believe in peaceful means of resolving disputes which are legally constitutional.

In as much as we understand how big a threat ZAPU is to the rogue regime of Mugabe and ZANU PF, we however do not understand how and why they have resorted to brutal intimidating tactics such as todays.

We wonder as to why such amount of force can be waged on unarmed party members who are assembled right inside their offices.

ZAPU wonders whether the country is now under a state of emergency. Why then is the state of emergency not declared? What could be the reasons of imposing a dubious state of emergency in the current Zimbabwe?

ZAPU advises the regime to listen to and address the peoples concerns rather than resorting to heavy handedness and brutality. People are not asking for guns, teargas and police dogs. They are not asking for foul mouthed police bullies to harass them.

People of Zimbabwe are simply asking for accountable governance and constitutionalism on the part of government. The people are asking for electoral reforms, employment and a right to life in their motherland. The police should respect the people’s rights and stop this brutality on citizens. Source – Iphithule Thembani kaMaphosa

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