Harare – Five Zimbabwean opposition activists were remanded in custody on Saturday on various charges including assault ahead of elections in August as tensions simmer.
The men were arrested on Friday in a voter registration centre in Charandura, a rural area a four-hour drive from the capital Harare.
Friday was the last day voters in the country could check their electoral registrations ahead of the polls on August 23.
The men are accused of assault, stealing a party membership card and $50, as well as ripping up a book belonging to members of the ruling party, among other charges.
The five briefly appeared in court Saturday before they were remanded in custody to appear again on Monday after the prosecutor failed to show up.
The main opposition party, CCC, said that one of its candidates for the forthcoming vote, 50-year-old Patrick Cheza, was among the group arrested.
The party claims that Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), a group reportedly aligned with the ruling Zanu-PF party, were present during the altercation.
⛔️ALERT: We’ve received a report that Patrick Cheza & 4 other CCC members were arrested on fabricated charges for peacefully challenging the presence of FAZ touts at polling stations in Chirumhanzu. Why is @ZECzim allowing shadowy groups to interfere with electoral processes? pic.twitter.com/5CkeeHquBd
— Fadzayi Mahere?? (@advocatemahere) June 3, 2023
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa claims that FAZ members have been seeking to interfere in preparations for the elections by intimidating people in rural areas.
CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said “it’s so clear” they belong to the ruling party.
Zanu-PF did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
The elections will be the first to be held under a controversial law that purports to promote patriotism.
But it has been condemned by the opposition as a “draconian” attempt to stifle dissent after it was approved by parliament on June 1.
It criminalises acts that damage “the sovereignty and national interest” of the southern African country.
In the most extreme cases, violators can face up to 20 years imprisonment.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, 80, replaced iron-fisted ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 after a military-led coup, and is seeking a second term in August.
Chamisa, his main challenger, is a 45-year-old lawyer and pastor, who leads the recently formed CCC party and narrowly lost to Mnangagwa in 2018.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@rabhahuma
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