adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
The MDC-Alliance once again showed its propensity for violence after rogue and drunk thugs from the party caused pandemonium and insulted members of the public indiscriminately, before assaulting a journalist from the private media at the Civic Centre in Masvingo on Wednesday evening.
The incident happened soon after the swearing-in of new councillors in the city and subsequent election of a new mayor and his deputy.
NewsDay Masvingo correspondent Tatenda Chitagu had to run for dear life after the MDC-Alliance thugs manhandled and attacked him with empty beer bottles before forcibly taking away his mobile phone.
They were reportedly incensed by the election of prominent Masvingo lawyer Advocate Collins Maboke (MDC Alliance Ward 2 Councillor) as new Masvingo mayor ahead of Councillor Godfrey Kurauone (MDC Alliance ward 4), who was their preferred candidate.
Advocate Maboke thumped Clr Kurauone by seven votes to three and this did not go down well with the party thugs.
The MDC-Alliance national leadership were reportedly rooting for Clr Kurauone to be the new mayor and is believed to have incited the thugs to cause the mayhem at the Civic Centre.
According to sources, what further irked the rowdy youths was the election of zanu-pf Ward 6 councillor Cde Wellington Mahwende, who beat MDC Alliance candidate Clr Selina Maridza (ward 1) by seven votes to three for the deputy mayoral post.
This was despite the fact that the MDC-Alliance has seven councilors out of 10 in the city, with zanu-pf having the remaining three.
Chitagu was confronted by MDC-Alliance thugs who bayed for his blood as he tried to seek a comment from Clr Kurauone over his loss to Adv Maboke.
Clr Kurauone sparked the chaos after he grabbed Chitagu’s phone as he was about to record their interview and the drunk MDC-Alliance thugs joined the attack.
Chitagu had to flee from the scene, with the drunk MDC-Alliance thugs in hot pursuit.
Clr Kurauone eventually looked for Chitagu and returned his phone.
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists Masvingo provincial chair George Maponga condemned the barbaric attack on Chitagu by MDC-Alliance, saying media practitioners should be allowed to do their job without fear.
“It is shameful for politicians to lead their supporters in attacking journalists while discharging their constitutional duties,” he said.
“As ZUJ we strongly condemn such despicable behaviour, which is alien, particularly under the new dispensation where the country’s national political leadership led by President Mnangagwa has been incessantly calling for Zimbabweans to be tolerant and peaceful as one people united by a common past and shared future.”
MDC-Alliance provincial chair Mr James Gumbi apologised for the incident and said his party was advocating for media freedom.
Online Reporter