Opposition MDC president Nelson Chamisa was on Friday blocked from taking up his seat in the VIP section at the memorial service held in honour of national hero Dumiso Dabengwa.
The event was held in Bulawayo at White City Stadium and was attended by thousands of people.
Sources close to Chamisa said that the MDC leader had a seat reserved for him at the top table but overzealous soldiers and CIO officials barred him from taking his seat. NewZimbabwe was told:
Initially, Chamisa was supposed to sit in the VIP section but he was stopped dead in his tracks by senior military and intelligence officials who swarmed him on arrival.
He was then ushered into a separate tent housing other opposition officials and traditional leaders, among them, his vice, Welshman Ncube. Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, however, was not in attendance.
MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said that he was made aware of the incident though he was yet to get the full details on what really transpired. Said Mafume:
There is a need for security personnel to understand that the State does not belong to Zanu PF. They must understand that leaders of the MDC like Mayors and MPs are part of the State.
The State cannot be conflated with Zanu PF and it is important that at important occasions, these deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
Some people think it is their God-given duty to persecute MDC people. It is archaic, backward, foolish and part of the dictatorship hangover this country is suffering from.
We have better things to worry about including finding solutions to alleviate the suffering of the people.