Clever Taperamoyo
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Commissioner General, Godwin Matanga recently urged senior police officers to deal decisively with political violence instigators now that the country is approaching a critical general election.
Addressing senior police officers drawn from all corners of the province during his maiden tour of Masvingo for the first time on Friday15, Com Gen Matanga said perpetrators and instigators of violence must never be allowed to discredit the elections.
“I urge you to ensure that no dirt is swept under the carpet. To this end, swift and decisive action has to be taken against any offender and all cases must be thoroughly investigated and quickly disposed of,” Comm Gen Matanga.
The police were also encouraged to conduct campaigns conveying messages that promote peace and unity in the communities.
“I urge you to embark on vigorous campaigns designed to propagate messages that promote peace and unity among the people by encouraging dialogue among political opponents and their supporters and encourage tolerance of divergent political views and strongly discouraging all forms of political violence,” said Matanga.
He further urged police officers to deal with all offenders without fear or favour.
“I am quite aware as you all are, that there are some misguided elements out there that have the temerity to wilfully violate laws of the land in the face of the police. That is totally unacceptable,” he added.politics
