Thursday, October 31

The killing of an opposition supporter in Zimbabwe was by ruling celebration followers, witnesses say

HARARE, Zimbabwe — This week’s lethal assault on a Zimbabwean opposition supporter was the work of ruling celebration followers, witnesses mentioned Friday, underlining fears of a violent buildup to this month’s normal election.

The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, or CCC, celebration had publicized the loss of life Thursday of Tinshe Chitsunge in an assault whereas on his solution to a rally within the capital, Harare, and blamed it on supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF celebration.

On Friday, witnesses instructed The Associated Press that Chitsunge was overwhelmed and stoned to loss of life as he tried to flee from dozens of males sporting ZANU-PF celebration T-shirts within the Glen View township. At least 15 different folks had been injured within the assault, the witnesses mentioned.



Police mentioned they’ve arrested 10 folks in reference to Chitsunge’s loss of life however gave no particulars about their identities or a potential motive, together with any hyperlinks to ZANU-PF.

The killing of CCC supporter Chitsunge got here in the identical week that celebration chief Nelson Chamisa mentioned in an interview with the AP that a lot of his celebration’s supporters had been going through violence and intimidation by the hands of ruling celebration activists. The intimidation, Chamisa mentioned, meant many individuals confronted the selection of both supporting the ruling celebration or being killed.

“It is not an election of political choices, but it’s an election of death or ZANU-PF,” Chamisa mentioned.

On Twitter on Friday, he condemned the killing of Chitsunge and referred to as it a cold-blooded homicide.

Chamisa is the principal challenger to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in an election on Aug. 23. International rights teams Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have already warned that there was a brutal crackdown on opposition to Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF.

“We deplore violence against any Zimbabwean,” ZANU-PF spokesman Christopher Mutsvangwa mentioned in response to Chitsunge’s killing. “They are not our members. A person who kills somebody is not a party member but a murderer, so the police must deal with the case.”

Zimbabwe has a historical past of violent elections and Chitsunge’s loss of life was the primary election-related killing reported forward of this month’s vote. A household spokesman mentioned the 44-year-old had a spouse and two youngsters.

He was overwhelmed and hit with stones whereas on the best way to a CCC rally at a soccer discipline, witnesses mentioned. He tried to flee and get again on a truck that was carrying the CCC supporters however didn’t make it, mentioned Musekiwa Kuziwa, one other CCC supporter.

“They were in their dozens and we were outnumbered,” Kuziwa mentioned. He mentioned he hid in an alley whereas Chitsunge was being attacked.

Images of Chitsunge’s physique had been shared after the assault, exhibiting him mendacity on the bottom along with his yellow CCC T-shirt stained with blood and his head coated with a yellow garment. Police ultimately took his physique away in a metallic coffin, Kuziwa mentioned.

Grantmore Hakata, the CCC candidate for Glen View South constituency, mentioned he helped take 15 different injured folks to a medical facility. Juliet Muchena, 52, mentioned she was overwhelmed and hit with stones, and her attackers additionally ripped her garments off. She had a white bandage on a gash on the highest of her head.

“It’s only 19 days before the election,” Muchena mentioned. “We have to stay strong because election violence is not new in Zimbabwe. Change will not come without a struggle.”

ZANU-PF has been in energy in Zimbabwe for 43 years since independence from white-minority rule, firstly by way of long-ruling autocrat Robert Mugabe. Mnangagwa changed Mugabe in a coup in 2017 after which beat Chamisa in a disputed election in 2018.

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