By Staff Reporter
The Movement of Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A) has accused the ruling party, ZANU PF for forcing touts to masquerade as opposition party defectors.
In a statement, MDC- A Youth Assembly National spokesperson, Stephen Sarkozy Chuma said that the ruling party used soldiers to coerce touts to fake as defectors from the opposition.
“Disturbing reports from Gweru are that the ruining party, ZANU PF used soldiers and police to round up touts in that city and the touts were later on coerced to masquerade as MDC Alliance defectors at a District Coordinating Committee (DCC) gathering. The arrested touts were later on asked to participate in the defections choreography or face prosecution if they did not participate in the charade,” said Chuma.
The MDC A youth official also alleged that the touts were taken from local bus termini and that the “charade” broke COVID 19 regulations.
“About 150 known Gweru touts were rounded up at Kudzanai Bus terminus and along Harare road and Bulawayo road mushika-shika sites. Riding on utopia, ZANU PF’s resident Minister for Midlands, Larry Mavhima later on presided over the defections charade where the touts were ‘unveiled’ as defecting MDC Alliance members joining ZANU PF. Besides breaking Covid-19 regulations with a crowd of over 50, the set maximum number of people per gathering, nothing was closer to reality at the event except the usual and tired lie that our members are defecting en-mass to ZANU PF,” Chuma said.
He also accused the government of fearing the anger of the touts and the citizenry hence warring against touts.
He said, “Faced with a growing discontentment from angry, hungry and restless citizenry, ZANU PF is starring at the barrel of a popular mass protest hence these desperate attempts to misrepresent the People’s Movement, MDC Alliance. We are well aware of the ruse by government of the declaration of war on touts. A responsible government does not declare war on its citizens but it finds solutions to the unprecedented rate of unemployment for young people. Only a people’s government under President Nelson Chamisa can wrestle the country out of the current political and economic crisis.”
A number of MDC A party defections have been reported including those of former heavy weights like Obert Gutu, James Makore and Lilian Timveous.
