July 14, 2003
In a further act of political harassment, Zimbabwe republic police officers from Chimanimani have forcefully occupied a classroom in the Charleswood Estate School and are using it as a base for harassment and illegal detention of farm workers.
Charleswood Estate is the farm of Roy Bennett MP, the MDC member of Parliament for Chimanimani
At around 10:30 a.m., a Defender Registration Number 288D arrived at the farm with police officers in uniform. Among them were Inspector Mabunda from Chipinge, Inspector Chogugudza, Assistant Inspector Chivandika, and Sergeant Zulu. They were armed with FN rifles.
They went to see the headmaster, Mr. Majokwiro, at the school and told him they needed a classroom so they could stay at the farm.
Mr. Majokwiro had no alternative but to give them they keys. They left four constables who are based at the school. As justification for this action, they falsely alleged that people at Charleswood are assaulting the settlers. The four policemen based at the school arrested Chaveni Ngwenya, Gift Jari, Danai Shokobishi, and Tari Mukungatu, all farm workers at Charleswood estate for questioning.
They were kept at the school for five hours and later released. The police allege that the reason they were detained was for assaulting settlers. However, they did not substantiate who was allegedly assaulted nor have they registered such a complaint. These arrests, and the presence of the police on the farm, substantially hinders ordinary operation of the farm, in spite of court orders against the Chimanimani ZRP officers from doing so. Inspector Chogugudza visits the policemen on a daily basis. He arrives with his deputy, Assistant Inspector Mufiriranwa and Sergeant Zulu. Gift Jari claims he was assaulted by an army settler by the name of Jokoja, and a worker of Jokoja’s, who slapped him twice on the face.
A report was made to the police--but no action has been taken.
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