A Correspondent- The MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s heavily attended political meetings have shocked the ruling Zanu PF party.

This was shown by concerted efforts by Zanu PF with the assistance of the police to block the opposition leader from addressing villagers in his home area.

Defiant Chamisa, however, forcibly held several meetings despite these attempts.
Zanu PF’s attempts to block him.

His team survived attacks by ruling party supporters, who barricaded roads to deny his convoy access to a local village.

The police deliberately ignored to arrest the Zanu ruling party supporters, who attacked Chamisa and his aides.

Shocked by Chamisa’s rallies, Zanu PF held a press conference and tried to underplay the opposition leader’s attacks by their supporters.

Acting Zanu PF political commissar Patrick Chinamasa addressed the press conference and laboured to defend the violent activities by his party supporters.

“What I heard happened in Masvingo was that the opposition leader wanted to force himself on an audience which did not want to listen to him,” Chinamasa said.

“He had no right to force people to listen to him. He had a right to address people but only those who were willing to be addressed by him.”

A group of about 200 Zanu PF supporters brandishing placards denouncing Chamisa for the sanctions imposed by the West on the country pounced on the opposition leaders, damaging cars and injuring five opposition supporters.

Zanu PF initially claimed the protest was stage-managed.

But Chinamasa yesterday said the villagers were angered because a “madman” wanted to address them.

“In this case, my information is that the villagers did not want to be addressed by him for obvious reasons. If you listen to a madman, you become part of his cast, you will be portrayed as part of his cast, he will then go ahead and say, I have lots of support, which he does not have.

“So our Zanu PF people have a right to say, we don’t want you to address us, we don’t want to, it’s my right, but if you force me to listen to you, I have reason to be angry.”