Investigate Chitsunge’s death: Commonwealth head demands

COMMONWEALTH observer mission head, Ambassador Amina Mohamed, has urged the police to look into the murder of Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) activist Tinashe Chitsunge, who died on 3 August 2023 during skirmishes between opposition CCC supporters and ruling Zanu PF youths.

RUVIMBO MUCHENJE

Mohamed was presenting her preliminary report on the just ended polls during a press conference in Harare, where they indicated that the pre-election.

“We learnt about the death of an opposition supporter earlier this month from a number of stakeholders, as was confirmed by the Commissioner General of Police, who advised that an investigation is still under way. We hope that there will be an expeditious outcome to this investigation,” said Mohammed.

Prior to her statement, the police indicated that 15 suspects were in the dock in connection with the skirmishes that claimed the life of Chitsunge. But, they were charged with participating in public violence and not the murder of Chitsunge.

The police dispelled the widespread narrative that Chitsunge was stoned to death saying his head was crushed by the vehicle that carried his compatriots out of Glennorah. Chitsunge is the latest statistic of inter party violence in the run up to the elections with his death sending chills down the spines of residents in Harare.

 He left behind a 27 year old widow and two minors, a boy and a girl. Chitsunge’s murder is yet to be resolved, just like many others who died in the past. Elections in Zimbabwe have always been fraught with physical violence, murder and intimidation.

Mboneni Ncube of Kwekwe died during a CCC presidential star rally in the build up to 26 March by-elections after suspected Zanu PF youths invaded the rally and attacked them.

In the aftermath of the polls, Moreblessing Ali of Nyatsime in Seke was killed in cold blood by a Zanu PFlinked Pius Mkandi Jamba. Like all findings from other observer missions, Mohammed highlighted that intimidation from FAZ was rampant at many polling areas.

 “We observed, and received various reports, that an NGO called Forever Associate Zimbabwe (FAZ), had set up ‘exit poll survey’ tables in close proximity to polling stations, with governing party regalia. From our briefings with other civil society organisations and stakeholders, it was made clear that exit polling is currently not permitted within the legal framework of Zimbabwe,” she said.