Political Reporter
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the arrest of 19 individuals in connection with the violent disruption that led to the abandonment of a football match between Dynamos and Highlanders at Barbourfields stadium in Bulawayo last week.
Several of those apprehended have been identified as active members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
A credible source close to the investigation revealed to our publication that the true instigators of the violence were not genuine football fans but political activists.
"These CCC hooligans were masquerading as Highlanders supporters. Their main goal was to leverage the live broadcast of the match as a platform to disseminate their political messages," the source remarked.
Elaborating on the matter, the source stated, "The very individuals causing such violence and unrest were not there for the love of the game. People like Reymond Nkomo (25), Noboth Sithole of Mzilikazi, Bulawayo, Sylvester Gumbo (30) of Old Pumula, Shepherd Ncube (26) of BMC, Mzilikazi, Wisdom Dube (30) of Nkulumane 5, and Shepherd Dube (24) of Ngozi Mine, Bulawayo, are known CCC members and have an established history marked by violent tendencies."
While the ZRP did not publicly align the political inclinations of the individuals with the recent violence in Bulawayo, their official statement from yesterday confirmed the arrest of 19 individuals regarding the incident.
Notably, the names mentioned by our source also appear on the ZRP's list of detainees, raising further questions about the true nature of the disturbance at the football match.
Meanwhile, the CCC, which emerged as a prominent entity during the election season, seems to be continuing its streak of violent incidents even in the post-election period.
Another recent incident, shedding light on the party’s activities, occurred in Epworth South. Gift Chatambudza, a known CCC member, along with six others, were reported to have assaulted and injured members of the MDC T party during a funeral in Domboramwari.
