Police Block Another CCC Rally In Masvingo
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rally set for Masvingo on Sunday at Mucheke Stadium is hanging in the balance after police refused to sanction it saying ZANU PF has booked the same venue.
The party’s Masvingo provincial leadership says it is not receiving fair treatment from the police who have refused to clear their proposed venues and urging them to find alternative dates to hold their rally different from that of ZANU PF’s.
This was revealed by party district chairperson, Martin Mureri who said the police have so far rejected two of their proposed venues. Mureri told NewZimbabwe.com:
I will meet with some of my colleagues and see if we can find other alternative venues soon because this rally has to be held on Sunday without fail.
Masvingo police spokesperson, Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa claimed he wasn’t aware of these developments. Dhewa said:
Let me find out, I might not find the appropriate person to brief me now but the best you can do is check with me tomorrow.
CCC had initially planned to hold their rally at Mucheke Stadium B Arena, but the bid was rejected.
They reportedly went on to propose Mamutse Stadium, but they were told it had been booked by the ruling party, ZANU PF for a rally on the same day and time.
Another effort to use Pangolin ground which is about 2km away from Mamutse Stadium also hit a snag after the police said it was too close to Zanu PF’s intended venue for its Sunday rally and could trigger violent clashes.
National police spokesperson recently dismissed allegations that the police were deliberately blocking CCC rallies countrywide. This was after Vice President Constantino had told the opposition to deal with the police instead of accusing the ruling party of blocking the rallies. The opposition was arguing that the police was taking orders from the ruling party.
More: NewZimbabwe.com