Cephas Shava
Mwenezi Police had a torrid time, on Sunday July 23, to disperse Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) supporters who were waiting for the party President Nelson Chamisa who was on his way from Beitbridge where he had addressed another rally.
The police had ordered them to disperse saying the stipulated time for the rally had lapsed and went on to throw teargas canisters at them but they remained defiant and temporarily dispersed and regrouped again.
They said no amount of smoke will stop them from waiting for their president saying Zanu PF was being allowed weeks of gathering while CCC was being denied only a single day.
“We are not going anywhere until we see President Chamisa.
“They can throw teargas at us but we will remain strong. In Zaka Zanu PF was allowed to spend two weeks but we are being denied a single day so we are not going anywhere,” said one supporter.
Around 4 pm CCC supporters who had patiently spent the better part of the day waiting to be addressed by their leader at Rutenga growth point in Mwenezi East were told by police officers to disperse since the stipulated time for the rally had lapsed.
The party supporters briefly dispersed and regrouped after the party National Organiser Amos Chibaya arrived ahead of Chamisa around 5:30 PM.
Police in anti-riot gear immediately pounced on the regrouping CCC crowd throwing teargas canisters leaving scared supporters scampering for safety.
However, the combat between civilians and the police turned fierce when the police attempted to arrest one of the CCC leaders who were present.
When the party supporters discovered that one of their own was cornered, they charged towards the officers throwing stones forcing officers to run away for dear life leaving the rally engulfed with tear gas.
The police officers later on came back and fired warning shots at defiant CCC supporters who had regrouped at the centre of the growth point and kept singing and dancing.
The police had mounted an emergency roadblock along the highway just before Rutenga growth enroute to Beitbridge, a development which many believed was targeted at blocking from going to Rutenga.
Chamisa’s convoy however, managed to find its way from the least expected side of the growth point around 6pm where he was greeted with wild ululations from party supporters whom he briefly waved while standing in his car.
From Rutenga, he was whisked to Ngundu Business Centre where teargas canisterswere again thrown to party supporters who were waiting for him.
