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HARARE – Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) spokesperson Ambassador Christopher Mutsvangwa has announced that the party plans to secure the release of over 100 political prisoners detained in the run-up to and during the 44th Ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit following the conclusion of the Summit.
Mutsvangwa told a news conference on Monday that the prisoners, many of whom were affiliated with the opposition Civic Coalition for Change (CCC), would be released soon. He attributed their planned protests to a crackdown by law enforcement as the main reason for their release.
“We will reward them for not disrupting the SADC summit by releasing them. Now that the event is over, we will work with the Minister of Internal Affairs, Cde Kazembe Kazembe and the justice system to ensure their release as soon as possible,” said Mutsvangwa.
He thanked the security forces for their role in preventing protests from derailing the SADC summit, adding: “We appreciate the efforts of the security forces to maintain order and neutralize those who seek to exploit this summit for their own selfish gains.”
The political prisoners included more than 100 activists and CCC politician James Timba, who were detained for disorderly conduct and taking part in an unlawful assembly. The State claimed that on June 16, police received a report of an unauthorised assembly taking place at Timba’s residence on Downey Road, Strathwyn, Harare.
Mutsvangwa’s comments come amid ongoing tension and scrutiny surrounding opposition figures in Zimbabwe.
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