Political Reporter
Rogue Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) youths last Saturday turned Mutare Central Business District (CBD) into a warzone as they barricaded roads and attacked ZANU PF members.
A Muslim man, who witnessed the violent scene, told this publication that CCC youths who were coming from a Provincial Assembly meeting barricaded roads near Mutare Polytechnic College (MPC) and started insulting ZANU PF members who were conducting their Party business nearby.
According to the eye witness, visibly intoxicated CCC youths led by one Linda Makunike, Spiwe Makundweyi and Josiah Chikono declared last Saturday that Mutare should be a no go area for ZANU PF members. The trio, together with other CCC youths started pelting ZANU PF supporters who were camped near MPC with stones before a violent running battle ensued.
“CCC supporters led by Makunike, Makundweyi and Chikono barricaded roads near Mutare Polytechnic College and provoked ZANU PF supporters who were conducting their Party business nearby. The heavily intoxicated CCC youths started shouting obscenities and attacked the ZANU PF members. Makunike sustained a cut on the right palm while other CCC members sustained some injuries. The ZANU PF members were also injured and some of them sought medical attention at Mutare General Hospital,” said the witness.
The witness added that the CCC supporters also destroyed his mobile phone and a Toyota Mark X vehicle accusing him of taking pictures of the scene.
The same witness further claimed that, in a bid to cover up their violent acts, CCC members alleged to the police that the violence was caused by ZANU PF’s, Heavens Chihono, the political commissar of Mutare Ward 11 Youth League, and Occasion Kamwendo, the chairperson of Mutare Ward 14 Youth League.
“It’s ironic that CCC members made a police report against ZANU PF’s youth leaders, Kamwendo and Chihono. The truth is that the violence was started by CCC thugs not these ZANU PF members. I hope the police will do a thorough investigation and bring the actual perpetrators to book,” said the witness.
Meanwhile, CCC members have a history of unleashing violence on ZANU PF supporters only to turn around and put the blame on ZANU PF. The same happened in June last year when that party’s supporters destroyed houses and properties in Nyatsime during the funeral of one Moreblessing Ali.
Their violence and smear campaign tactics are now an over played broken record that has since been exposed as engraved in their DNA, which has been especially overplayed ahead of international conferences and now when the country is in election mode..
