Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. RELATED: – By Staff Reporter
MORE opposition activists have been nabbed by police following a confrontation with Forever Associates of Zimbabwe (FAZ) members at polling stations.
Last week four Chirumanzu opposition members were arrested and charged with assault, robbery and malicious damage of property following clashes with FAZ members who were documenting people inspecting the voters roll at some polling stations in the district.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said one aspiring CCC MP is now being accused of sexually harassing a female FAZ member.
“In Masvingo province, two people were recently arrested by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers in Gutu after they allegedly engaged in a verbal altercation with FAZ members, who were stationed at some Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) polling stations, which had been designated by the elections management body as inspection centres for purposes of the voters’ roll inspection exercise.
“51 year-old Goodson Matanda, who resides in Gutu, was arrested on 1 June 2023 by ZRP officers, who charged him with assault as defined in section 89(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act,” said ZLHR in a statement.
It is alleged that on June 1 at Rafamoyo Primary School in Gutu, Matanda assaulted Shamiso Madondo who is employed as a FAZ member and had been deployed at the inspection centre.
Matanda reportedly arrived and started taking pictures of Madondo and other ZANU PF political party members at the school using his mobile phone.
A misunderstanding reportedly arose after the ZANU PF political party supporters questioned why he was taking pictures of them.
Matanda, prosecutors alleged, then assaulted Madondo during the altercation and accused her of being used by the ruling ZANU PF political party.
Matanda was granted bail on 6 June 2023 by Gutu Magistrate Mitchell Panavanhu after spending four days behind bars.
“In setting free Matanda, Magistrate Panavanhu ordered him to pay US$250 or its equivalent in ZWL currency and also ordered him to report once every week on Friday at a ZRP station.
He returns to court on Thursday 8 June 2023, where his trial is scheduled to commence.
Another Gutu resident, Ephraem Murudu, who is reportedly contesting as a legislator for Gutu West constituency was arrested on 30 May 2023 at his business premises on a litany of charges including criminal insult as defined in section 95(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, threat of future violence as defined in section 129(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and indecent assault as defined in section 67(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Murudu, a 63 year-old war veteran and retired teacher, had on May 29 gone to inspect his name in the voters’ roll at Mbirikira Primary School in Gutu, where he allegedly met Yvonne Funda, a FAZ member, and tried to grab an exercise book which she was holding, accusing her of being ‘dull and uneducated’.
In the melee he allegedly fondled Funda’s breasts.
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