Own Correspondent|Police in Bulawayo have denied opposition Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) permission to hold its rally in a city high-density suburb because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus in China.
The party released a statement that on Thursday last week the notified the police about the party’s intention to hold a rally at Tshabalala Hall on the 29th of February 2020.
Full Statement By MRP below:
Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP)
21/02/2020
Zimbabwe Republic Police at Southampton Building in Bulawayo headquarters are on it again with their harlot behavioral tendencies of prejudice against all that is not in tandem with Zanu-PF and Harare.
Last week on Thursday our organising department through the Secretary made an application to clear a rally organised by Bulawayo South Constituency to be held at Tshabalala hall on the 29th of February 2020. They, the Police at head office acknowledged receipt of the application and letter, our organising Secretary Cde Xaba was called and told that the regulating officer is away on a funeral in Buhera.
- First port of call to this disdain from the headquarters is, why would the headquarters like that of Bulawayo have only one clearing official? Is this a sign of lack of competancy or its just as a result of a compromised ststem?
They probably need some lecture on public administration as a collective headquarters. This is too backward.
Out team was later called yesterday and they went in anticipation of receiving a clearance letter, guess what the incompetent police said?,
‘ We have now received a case of a Coronavirus in eMganwini suburbs’.
This should be news missed by the media and only known by the Police.The Police at Southampton building need to clear this and send an alert message to all residents and the coutry at large. Corona Virus is a deadly disease and it canot be the Southampton’s secret only. If our rally is said to be located close to Mganwini for that reason it cant proceed, then all schools, churches, meetings in Mganwini, Nketa, Tshabalala, must be closed and all movements clamped to avoid any further spread of the disease.
Since the start of this pandemic, this week we only had one official reported case of Coronavirus in Harare and the patient is said to be quarantined for monitoring of the symptoms. What about this Mganwini fiasco, can the media prob this so that we are well advised as a nation about this CoronaVirus in EMganwini. Which quarantine hospital is at EMganwini Surbubs. This is a high tier of incompetence in this headquarters.
On another separate case altogether, our team went to the same Police station to ask for clearance for a tent to be pitched on Herbert Chitepo and Fort Street, along Selborne road / Leopold Takawira in Bulawayo for Party promotional purposes in the month of March.
Our team was called for an interview as is the norm. This time it was a rare experience in the interview, our team was interviewed in the presence of the some sort of a Joint Operations Command (JOC) plus stakeholders. This was an inclusive meeting of the following: Zimbabwe Prison & Correctional Services, Zimbabwe National Army ( Millitary Intelligence) Local Government, Bulawayo City Council, Chicken Inn, Edgars.
It is in this meeting that all these stakeholders agreed that it will be not a good idea for MRP to pitch its tent in that vicinity. I will state as it is from their letter to us:
- The area where you want to pitch your tent is densely populated by both vehicular and human beings’
- The place is also within the proximity of the Court of law
3.A number of people may converge at your tent with the intention to cause public disorder and this may result in malicious damage to property, looting of shops and injuries to innocent souls.
For the above reasons they quoted MOPA and made us to be advised accordingly that our tent cant be pitched.
Firstly, it is on this background that ZANU PF pitched their tent and had their tables on the same vicinity when they were getting signatures for the anti sanctions petition and all these stakeholders approved it.
Now that it is MRP, too many reasons are brought forth.
Secondly, Point one suggests that the place is a traffic center for both vehicular and human beings.
Who are those people trafficking that area close to the Court of law. Should we all agree that the same of Court of law might as well be a Kangaroo Court?. When Chief Justice Malaba was in Bulawayo beginning last year for an official opening of the courts , his first adress while here in Bulawayo was that all Money changers known as ‘Osiphatheleni’ can not operate next to the Court of Law at Tredgold Magistrates.
But today the same police who should be arresting these money changers maiming the tredgold building are now protecting them as a cause for no other business except them. This is a sign of a high level of corruption by the police. They must clear that place free of those people instead of protecting them and their vehicles.
Our team was told to come today at 9am for further correspondence.
Zimbabwe, is one of those coutries where the rule of law is only followed when it suits the masters of the system.
If they see some elements of opposition the system proponents are so quick to raise red flags in a protection bid.
This tent application is another way of trying to solve such problems of systematic capture of the justice system in Zimbabwe. MRP wanted to get hard copy signatures for its petition about the elements of Gukurahundi and Matabeland challenges. This to the government is a candid disdain by our Party as it will unmusk their evil faces. MRP is collecting signatures and will not be stopped by this Zanu pf Government and their evil servants the police force and their stakeholders. Companies like edgars on Herbert Chutepo and Chicken Inn we will have good news for you in the future.
Nothing will stop us even on going ahead with the rally in Tshabalala though the road show was also stopped as usual.
The constitution says we should notify the police, we have done it and we will continue with the planned rally.
Nothing for us without us.
For peace and Justice in our lifetime
Velile Moyo
National Secretary of information and publicity.