Police reportedly raided the Movement for Democratic Change Harare provincial headquarters and arrested 31 supporters claiming that the gathering was illegal under the Public Order and Security Act.
In Marondera, a rally that was to be addressed by party leader Morgan Tsvangirai was cancelled when soldiers beat people overnight, several so severely that they had to be hospitalised according to United States embassy officials.
A diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks says the US embassy team observed about 30 police and soldiers in riot gear outside Marondera. The police and soldiers were reportedly waiting for Tsvangirai who was due to address a rally but this was cancelled because of the high threat of violence in the area.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE555, ELECTION DAILY REPORT: POLICE AND SOLDIERS
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
020622Z Mar 02
CONFIDENTIAL PTO1114
PAGE 01 HARARE 00555 020626Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 USNW-00
DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 OIGO-00 VC-00 H-01
TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 JUSE-00 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00
AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00
PC-01 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 IRM-00
STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00
DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /010W
——————6E570C 020627Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1075
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000555
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR PDAS BELLAMY
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRASIER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/07
SUBJECT: ELECTION DAILY REPORT: POLICE AND SOLDIERS
ARREST AND ASSAULT MDC SUPPORTERS IN SEPARATE INCIDENTS
CLASSIFIED BY POL TDY AARON TARVER, REASON: 1.5 (B) AND
(D).
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00555 020626Z
POLICE ARREST AND ASSAULT MDC HARARE SUPPORTERS
——————————————— —
¶1. (C) SHORTLY AFTER NOON ON FEBRUARY 28, POLICE RAIDED
THE MDC HARARE PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS. PROVINCIAL
ELECTION COORDINATOR DONALD CHIRUNGA TOLD US THAT A
LARGE “LUNCH TIME MEETING” WAS CALLED IN THE INDUSTRIAL
AREAS NEAR COKE CORNER OUTSIDE HARARE, WHERE MDC
PRESIDENT MORGAN TSVANGIRAI SHOWED UP. PROVINCIAL
COORDINATOR DONALD CHIRUNGA TOLD US THAT A POLICE LORRY
STOPPED MDC SUPPORTERS LEAVING THE MEETING, AND A NUMBER
OF ZANU-PF MILITIA CAME OUT OF HIDING AND BEGAN BEATING
THE SUPPORTERS.
¶2. (C) THE POLICE LEFT THE SCENE AND TRAVELED TO THE
MDC HARARE PROVINCIAL HEADQUARTERS, WHERE SUPPORTERS HAD
RETURNED AND JOINED SOME 500-PLUS SUPPORTERS ENGAGED IN
POLLING TRAINING. (NOTE: CHIRUNGA EXPLAINED THAT
POLLING TRAINING FOR A NUMBER OF PROVINCES WAS BEING
CONDUCTED AT HARARE HEADQUARTERS.) UPON ARRIVAL, MDC
INFORMATION OFFICER PERCY MAKOMBE EXPLAINED, POLICE
BEGAN BEATING PEOPLE AT RANDOM. CHIRUNGA EXPLAINED THAT
THE MEMBERS WHO HAD ATTENDED THE LUNCH MEETING ATTEMPTED
TO LOCK THE HEADQUARTERS, BUT POLICE FORCIBLY ENTERED
THE PREMISES, AND PROMPTLY ARRESTED 31 MDC SUPPORTERS,
CLAIMING THE GATHERING WAS ILLEGAL UNDER THE PUBLIC
ORDER AND SECURITY ACT (POSA). NONE OF THE 31
SUPPORTERS INCLUDED PROVINCIAL LEADERS, ACCORDING TO
CHIRUNGA. MDC SPOKESMAN LEARNMORE JONGWE (IN SOUTH
AFRICA) TOLD US THAT THOSE ARRESTED WERE TAKEN TO HARARE
CENTRAL POLICE STATION, BUT MDC HAS BEEN UNABLE TO
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00555 020626Z
ASCERTAIN THEIR PRESENT WHEREABOUTS.
¶3. (C) MEDIA LIAISON OFFICER FOR THE COMMONWEALTH
OBSERVER MISSION MWAMBU WANANDEYA TOLD US THAT HE AND
TWO OTHER COMMONWEALTH OBSERVERS ARRIVED ON THE SCENE
SHORTLY THEREAFTER, AND NOTICED POLICE IN RIOT GEAR AT
THE LOCATION. WANANDEYA EXPLAINED THAT WHILE POLICE
WERE UNPLEASANT TOWARDS THE OBSERVERS, THEY DID NOT
ENGAGE IN ANY BEATINGS IN THE OBSERVERS’ PRESENCE
(WANANDEYA WAS QUICK TO CAVEAT THAT THIS NEITHER
CONFIRMS NOR DENIES THAT BEATINGS OCCURRED BEFORE THE
TEAM’S ARRIVAL). THE OBSERVERS INTERVIEWED ONE MAN IN A
WHEELCHAIR WHO DESCRIBED BEATINGS BY POLICE. IN
RESPONSE, THE POLICE ISSUED A STATEMENT CLAIMING THAT
THEY ENTERED THE PARTY HEADQUARTERS ONLY TO ARREST
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ILLEGAL MEETING,
NOT TO TARGET PARTY LEADERS, AND DENIED THAT ANY
BEATINGS HAD OCCURRED.
VIOLENCE FLARING IN MARONDERA
—————————–
¶4. (C) MEANWHILE IN MARONDERA, EMBASSY TEAM LEARNED
THAT OVERNIGHT, THE ZDF BEAT PEOPLE, SEVERAL SO SEVERELY
THAT MANY ARE STILL IN THE HOSPITAL THE MORNING OF MARCH
¶1. TEAM ALSO HAS HEARD REPORTS OF ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS
STONING VEHICLES HEADED TOWARDS THE MDC RALLY SCHEDULED
FOR NOON TODAY, WHERE MDC PRESIDENT TSVANGIRAI WAS
EXPECTED TO SPEAK. EMBASSY TEAM OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY
30 POLICE AND ZDF SOLDIERS IN RIOT GEAR OUTSIDE
MARONDERA. TEAM LEARNED THAT THE SOLDIERS AND POLICE
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 00555 020626Z
WERE WAITING FOR TSVANGIRAI. ULTIMATELY, TEAM LEARNED
THAT THE RALLY WAS CANCELED, AND THAT MDC SUPPORTERS HAD
GONE HOUSE TO HOUSE TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE CANCELLED
RALLY, DUE TO THE HIGH THREAT OF VIOLENCE IN THE AREA.
THE TEAM MET SOME MDC YOUTH, BLEEDING FROM ROCKS THROWN
BY ZANU-PF SUPPORTERS (THOSE YOUTH WERE TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL WITH A POLICE ESCORT). THE TEAM ALSO NOTICED
MDC PROPAGANDA MATERIALS BURNING THROUGHOUT THE AREA.
SULLIVAN
CONFIDENTIAL
>
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