By Staff reporter
Marondera’s Dombotombo residents have dismissed MDC’s gunshots claims which are alleged to have been fired by ZRP, at party leader Nelson Chamisa and his entourage during an unsanctioned tree planting programme, this Sunday.
Commenting on the series of events that took place, Marvis Chitumbwa who resides near Dombotombo clinic where the tree planting event was held, dismissed the live ammunition bluff arguing that it was one of MDC’s political stunts.
“To conclusively argue that there were gunshots would be a fib since bullet shells were never found. Soon after the incident, I think after an hour or so, at least six men in red t-shirts came in search of bullet shells which we gladly assisted them in searching to no avail.
“Also the fact that no one was injured should speak for itself because these security details are trained personnel whom I believe that if they had really wanted to shoot someone, they wouldn’t have failed dismally to an extent of missing even one person amongst the MDC leadership.
“Instead, if any were injured, it was due to the aftermath stampede after a loud noise was heard, followed by tear smoke and people shouting ‘gun, gun!’ after police attempted to disperse a small crowd which had been deployed by a combi blocking patients’ access to the clinic,” she narrated.
Elucidating on the loud noise which was heard, ZRP said that tear smoke canisters were usually fired from a short barrelled launcher that makes a loud pop that can be mistaken for a shot at a distance.
Commenting on this incident, political analyst, Rugare Mafure also questioned this matter arguing that for long, Chamisa has been considered a darling of the police as he has been spared any arrest despite constantly breaking the law.
“Of all the influential opposition leaders, it is questionable how Chamisa has been spared arrest by police despite his constant confrontation with the law and many incidents of instigating violence.
“Tsvangirai had his fair share, same with Biti, but never Chamisa. So really to assume that the police would want to gun him down in broad day light is not only folly but also notorious,” said Mafure.
To add on to his ‘luck’ with the law enforcers, since 2018 the former Kuwadzana legislator has been moving around with his entourage with unregistered vehicles (also captured in the live ammunition video) to no arrest.
This is despite the background that Sections 6 and 10 of the Vehicle Registration and Licensing Act (Chapter 13:14) stipulates the need for vehicles to be registered and to always display their registration marks and numbers. Surprisingly Chamisa has been riding on his luck, parading all over the country, unfazed, never to be arrested by the prosecuting officers, the same who they claim to be after him.
