adminMabvuku Police Station and said investigations were still in progress.
Cde Masimirembwa said when his campaign team was pasting posters, it was being followed by the aspiring MDC-T councillor for Ward 19, Mr Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwe, who was removing them together with his colleagues.
“He is the one leading the MDC-T campaign to deface our posters. They have the blessings of James Maridadi (MDC-T parliamentary candidate for Mabvuku-Tafara), who has run out of ideas on how he can campaign against Zanu-PF,” he said.
“We would like to assure residents that as Zanu-PF we have put adequate measures to secure our posters and that the police would be put in full force to ensure that no posters are defaced.
“We urge our supporters to remain calm in the face of this provocation.
“We must remain peaceful and we must not retaliate.” Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident and said defacing or destroying campaign posters of other political parties was an offence under the Electoral Act.
“According to the Act, from the day an election date is announced and the day results are announced, no person shall deface, remove any bill boards, placards or posters posted or displayed by a political candidate contesting in the election.
For the past few months several MDC-T supporters have been arrested on allegations of tearing other parties’ campaign posters and for their involvement in violent activities countrywide.
Police say they would not hesitate to arrest anyone involved in violence or whose behaviour was likely to cause disturbances, especially during the run-up to election day.
MDC-T has unleashed a wave of intra- and inter-party violence in a bid to not only trash the political environment to aid its calls for poll postponement, but to also provide fodder for its Western allies to discredit the poll.
The terror campaign began last year, but was intensified from January, with over 45 cases being recorded countrywide since the beginning of the year.
Journalists have also not been spared, with Mashudu Netsianda of Chronicle and Herbert Moyo of The Zimbabwe Independent falling victim to violent MDC-T members in separate incidents in Harare and Bulawayo.
The attack on journalists followed threats issued by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who criticised journalists and media houses that do not toe his party line, saying they had no future in his perceived “new Zimbabwe”.
Recently, a Tafara man was arrested for allegedly tearing up election campaign posters for Zanu-PF parliamentary candidate for Mabvuku–Tafara constituency Mr Godwills Masimirembwa.
Andrew Makumbe (40), a self–employed electrician, was caught while tearing the posters which were pasted at Murapa Complex where he operates from.
He appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma on Thursday facing charges of “destruction of political posters”.
Prosecutor Miss Sharon Mashavira told the court that on July 5 at around 5pm, Makumbe was seen by Richard Uda tearing Cde Masimirembwa’s posters near his work place.
It is the State’s case that Uda apprehended him and took him to the police where he made a report, leading to Makumbe’s arrest.
The torn posters would be produced in court as exhibits.
Online Reporter