The Deputy Minister of tourism, Barbara Rwodzi allegedly hurled insults at a senior Police Officer investigating Zanu PF activists and the alleged assault of journalists.
Assistant Inspector Chester Matsa of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is trending online after a viral recording of a telephone conversation in which he alledely stood his ground against an irate Deputy Minister of tourism, Barbara Rwodzi.
The context is that police were handling a matter involving a Zanu PF activist identified as “Fidelis Danger”, who went to the Chirumhanzu South constituency, where the deputy minister is a candidate for the ruling party, and tore up Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) posters.
The minister initially demanded that the police officer give her information about the case.
However, the police officer stood his ground, telling the Deputy Minister that he was preparing a docket and that the accused person would appear in court, adding that he was not answerable to the Rwodzi.
This comes after an audio recording allegedly between the Police Officer and the Deputy Minister was leaked online. The Deputy Minister is then heard in the audio furiously responding to the office, saying, “I know your mandate; l create the laws. You hear me? I know your mandate more than you do. You’re a stupid idiot; l will deal with you.”
In a statement on posted on the ZRP’s official Twitter handle, the police said they had been made aware of the said audio clip trending on social media and were investigating the matter.
Meanwhile Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Nick Mangwana seemed to suggest that the alleged showdown with the police officer could have been Rwodzi’s way of dealing with grief after she lost her husband, Christopher Mutonhora Rwodzi, in a car accident early this month.
The late aspiring MP for Gutu West constituency was running as an independent candidate after being barred from contesting in the Zanu Pf primaries.
John Paradza, the ruling party’s Deputy Youth Secretary is the party’s candidate for Gutu West Constituency in the upcomimg harmonized elections.
Journalists beaten
Annahstacia Ndlovu, a stringer for Voice of America; Lungile Ndlovu, who works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation; and Pamenus Tuso, a stringer for South Africa’s Sunday Times, had to run for dear life in Bulawayo on Monday when a group of Zanu PF supporters, who terrorised vendors and forced them to attend a party mini-rally in Bulawayo, beat up the journalists for filming the episode.
A slap sent Tuso running to hide his camera in a nearby building while Annahstacia Ndlovu was manhandled and dragged.
Lungile Ndlovu was also forced to run after a few kicks.
Tuso told reporters it was an unfortunate episode that, upon inquiry, was not sanctioned at a senior level within Zanu PF.
“Some [senior party members] have come to apologise because they say it was not a party directive to beat us up.
“I was clapped and ran for safety. I then came back to try to rescue Annahstacia because as a woman, she was receiving the worst treatment,” he said.
