Neo-colonialist stooge Morgan Tsvangirai not arrested

[XXPANTHAXX]

Herald Reporter

POLICE have dismissed as false claims by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai
that he was arrested and detained by security agents in Matabeleland
North on Wednesday afternoon.

The opposition leader reportedly told the Western media that he had been
detained by police for about nine hours and was only released after
‘‘signing an official police caution", with his party claiming the
‘‘arrest’’ was a Government attempt to paralyse his run-off campaign.

Tsvangirai’s ‘‘detention’’ was roundly condemned by the United States,
Britain, Germany and Amnesty International.

However, chief police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Wayne
Bvudzijena yesterday said Tsvangirai’s convoy was stopped at a routine
roadblock in Lupane where it was found that one of the vehicles did not
have proper registration.

He said the vehicle in question was South African-registered and the
driver failed to produce the relevant papers to show that the car was in
Zimbabwe legally.

The driver was asked to accompany the police officers to the nearest
police station whereupon Tsvangirai’s entire convoy, which had been
cleared to proceed, decided to follow the driver.

"He (the driver) produced photocopies of documents, yet the legal
requirement is to produce original documents.

"The driver was subsequently asked to accompany the police to the
nearest police station and the whole convoy decided to escort him.

"The driver was interviewed at the station after which the car was
impounded and everyone left the police station. No one was ever arrested
or detained.

"We are keeping the vehicle until we can verify how and where it entered
the country," Asst Comm Bvudzijena said.

The chief police spokesperson added: "There is this insinuation that the
force is stopping certain people from carrying out their political
activities and campaigns. I want to reiterate that the police have
nothing to do with this.

"However, where there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been
committed, we are obliged to investigate and that is what we do as per
our constitutional mandate."

MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa had earlier told some sections of the
media that the opposition leader had been arrested.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena said on Wednesday, routine searches at police
roadblocks resulted in the arrest of three suspected MDC-T supporters in
Matabeleland who were carrying weapons suspected to have been used or
destined for use in acts of political violence.

"We have set up security roadblocks across the whole country and on
Wednesday we arrested three suspected MDC-T supporters in Matabeleland
who were in possession of sjamboks, catapults and knobkerries. As you
are aware, these are weapons that are predominantly used for political
violence," he said.

He said investigations were in progress and police would continue to
arrest perpetrators of political violence.

Meanwhile, British and United States diplomats were yesterday questioned
and released by police at a roadblock in Mazowe after a high-speed chase
from Bindura where they had strayed beyond the stipulated travel radius.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena said the officials, travelling in three vehicles
with diplomatic registration number plates, had driven off at high speed
when police approached them while parked in Chipadze suburb.

He said police had received information that a group of about 10 people
were in the suburb area around 10am and went to investigate.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena said when the police arrived at the scene, they
discovered the vehicles that had diplomatic registration number plates
and they asked the occupants to identify themselves.

"Instead of identifying themselves, the occupants in two of the vehicles
decided to drive off towards Trojan Mine while the third vehicle drove
off along the Harare-Bindura Road," he said.

The third vehicle was stopped at a roadblock in Mazowe.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena said the speeding vehicle almost ran over some
police officers manning the roadblock.

The vehicle, he said, bumped into another car when the driver was
reversing in a bid to flee.

He said the police approached the car and asked the occupants to
identify themselves.

Instead of co-operating, Asst Comm Bvudzijena said the occupants shut
all the windows and locked the doors, prompting the officers to deflate
the tyres.

One of the vehicles that had taken the Trojan Mine direction arrived at
the roadblock a few minutes later where it was stopped and the Police
questioned the occupants before releasing them.

"The situation was amicably resolved and they were allowed to go," he
said adding that the purpose of the diplomats’ visit to Bindura was
still unknown by last night.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena said there were a number of roadblocks countrywide
meant to curtail the movement of weapons being used in political
violence.

"We are surprised that the diplomats fled from Chipadze when they were
asked to identify themselves by the police. In essence, they were
reducing themselves to common criminals because if they had identified
themselves there would have been no problems," he said.

Asst Comm Bvudzijena urged people to co-operate with the police.

"Being in a vehicle with a CD registration number plate does not
necessarily give an identification of the individual in the vehicle," he
said.

The incident comes barely a month after US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James
McGee’s escapade in Mashonaland Central where he led a group of other
diplomats.

McGee also went beyond the 40km radius from his station without
notifying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as stipulated by the Vienna
Convention.

A day earlier, McGee had written a letter to the media, making
unsubstantiated claims that Zanu-PF was torturing MDC-T supporters and
threatening the State with violence should the opposition form the next
government.

McGee had also made politically charged and inflammatory remarks when he
visited alleged victims at the Avenues Clinic in Harare on May 9.

On Monday, US State Department spokesman Mr Sean McCormack said his
government was "going to continue to speak out . . . to be a voice and
beacon for freedom" in Zimbabwe ahead of the June 27 presidential
run-off.

Mr McCormack, who was speaking at the department’s daily Press briefing
in US, had been asked if the United States had a contingency plan to
monitor conditions inside Zimbabwe if government made "good on its
threats to throw US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr James D. McGee out of the
country".

"We have a whole embassy of people who are focused either in whole or in
part on issues in this election. We are going to continue to speak out.
We are going to continue to be a voice and beacon for freedom," Mr
McCormack said.

President Mugabe recently warned McGee that he is one wrong step away
from expulsion if he continues meddling in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

The President, who was speaking at the launch of his run-off campaign at
Zanu-PF headquarters on May 25, said McGee should learn from other
ambassadors, including Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Washington, Cde
Machivenyika Mapuranga, who abided by and respected the Vienna
Conventions on Diplomatic Relations and the laws of the host nation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi summoned and read
McGee the riot act on May 14 over his continued dabbling in opposition
politics.

[Rahameem Israel]

Our People Show Passion In What They Believe In On The Continent. We Would Neva...neva Eva Eva These Days Physically Put In Work Like That For A "righteous Cause" In This Hell Hole Called Amerikkka....the Minute We Think About It Here Comes Jessie "keep Hope Alive" Jackson And Rev. "lets Have Calm And Reason" Sharpton......we Need To Stop That Shit! By The Way Im A "mugabist" Afrika For The Afrikans, Down With Neo-colonialism.