Taurai Masamba

The Police have called out the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) and some online media outlets for falsely claiming and publishing that opposition figure, Dr Thokozani Khupe and some CCC activists were arrested on Monday in Plumtree on their way from a campaign rally in Bulilima.

The Police National Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi issued a statement yesterday dismissing the story, which was carried by a number of online publications such as newzimbabwe.com, CITE, newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk and newsdzezimbabwe, as completely false.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police dismisses circulating on newsdzezimbabwe.co.uk, CITE and other social media platform linked to the Citizens Coalition for Change Bulawayo’s (provincial spokesperson) Swithern Chirowodza that Dr Thokozani Khupe and other CCC activists were arrested as totally false,” said AssComm Nyathi.

The Police castigated the opposition for spreading falsehoods.

“The Police has not effected any arrests on Khupe and associates. The false story is dismissed with the contempt it deserves. It is totally wrong for politicians to claim arrest by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in false circumstances,” Ass Comm Nyathi said.

The Police also took a swipe at journalists for rushing to publish stories without verifying them.

“We continue to urge journalists to verify information obtained from purported reliable sources before publishing such stories.

This is not the first time that CCC has been caught in a fake news scam. In January 2020, CCC interim spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere, deputy chairperson, Job Sikhala and activist Hopewell Chin’ono were arrested for spreading fake news on social media that a police officer had killed a child strapped on his mother’s back while clearing people from an undesignated  hiking spot along Sam Nujoma Street in Harare’s Avenues area. Their cases are still pending before the courts.