adminThe police were apparently on an operation of rounding up touts and pirate taxis in the Gweru Central Business District.
Mr Dube who was in casual wear and sandals had just disembarked from a hired coaster minibus after the driver had parked at an undesignated point when two police officers approached and manhandled him.
The Tsholotsho South legislator was part of the team of about 10 MPs who were on parliament business in Gweru.
The team’s bus parked at an undesignated point along Robert Mugabe way when the police approached Mr Dube.
Police officers, who could not immediately ascertain the identity of the “suspect”, dragged the MP by the belt as they led him to Gweru Central Police Station.
The incident, which is now the talk of Gweru, occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Witnesses said Mr Dube, who was travelling with a team of legislators that form the Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance, had just parked a hired coaster minibus along the Gweru-Bulawayo Road near the Civic Centre.
“When the bus stopped at the undesignated point, MP Dube who was casually dressed was the first to disembark and police officers who mistook him for a tout quickly grabbed him by the belt and accused him of conducting his ‘touting’ duties at an undesignated point,” said one of the MPs who witnessed the incident.
He said the situation was made worse by a communication breakdown after MP Dube tried to explain to the police officer in iSiNdebele that they were asking for directions and were on Government duty, not pirating.
“The two young looking police officers started arguing with the MP while dragging him by the belt. The police officers were insisting that the MP was touting and that he was now pretending not to understand Shona so that they could release him,” said the MP.
The MP said some legislators led by the team leader and Goromonzi North MP, Cde Paddy Zhanda, later disembarked from the bus and rushed to their colleague’s rescue as he was being dragged to Gweru Central Police Station.
“The honourable MP was only released after being dragged for some distance. He later proceeded to Gweru Central Police Station to file a complaint against the two police officers,” he said.
Mr Dube confirmed the incident when he was contacted yesterday.
He fumed over the “embarrassment” which he said he faced at the hands of the police.
“It was so unprofessional and disappointing the manner in which the police in Gweru treated me yesterday (Tuesday). How can they manhandle me in public by grabbing my belt and dragging me without listening to my story? It’s so embarrassing that we no longer have professional law enforcers in Zimbabwe,” said Mr Dube.
He said he filed an assault report against the two police officers who manhandled him.
“I will do a follow-up to that because I believe what they did to me was tantamount to assault. I have read in the Press reports of police officers who abuse members of the public they would have arrested without believing such stories much. I now have first hand information,” he said.
Police, however, maintained that there was no official report made by Mr Dube at Gweru Central Police Station.
Online Reporter