HARARE – MDC Alliance Vice President Tendai Biti said his party is facing an unprecedented systematic assault following the recent attacks directed towards the party including the latest arrest of top officials Job Sikhala and Fadzayi Mahere.
The MDC Alliance has in recent months faced a series of attacks with their headquarters taken from them, a number of their legislators recalled by another party and many of the top leadership members arrested for different reasons.
“I think Emmerson Mnangagwa definitely wants to destroy our movement. The systematic assault on our party is just unprecedented and unmitigated. They have taken over our head office, our name, our members of Parliament, our Councillors and have taken over our victory in 2018,” said Biti.
Biti highlighted that most of their leadership has been arrested recently and have pending court cases but said he was particularly concerned about the recent arrests which are exposing most of the party members to Covid-19 while in the prisons.
“I am particularly worried about the latest attack because we are in the middle of the second wave of the dangerous coronavirus pandemic. Jacob Mafume for instance is in a cell designed for 30 people, they are 64and only a few days ago one of the inmates actually collapsed and died because of Covid.
“So I think the gear is being upped and actually they want to eliminate the leadership,” he added.
Mahere and Sikhala are accused of communicating falsehoods following the comments they made on a widely circulated video which purported a baby had been struck and killed by a police officer.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume was on Friday granted bail after spending over a month in custody awaiting trial.
In 2020, a Supreme Court judgement gave the MDC-T, now led by Douglas Mwonzora the power to recall MDC Alliance legislators despite that they contested separately during the last elections.
Quizzed on what the party was doing in response to the attacks, Biti said it was important to secure the release of those arrested, but also the party must provide leadership that is equal to the task, adding that “it can’t be business as usual.”
