CCC legislators clutch at straws in violence case
• as the Ali family releases bizarre statement
Citizens Coalition for Change parliamentarians Godfrey Sithole and Job Sikhala are trying to use Moreblessing Ali`s corpse to escape charges they are facing before the law.
The two who represent Chitungwiza North and Zengeza West respectively are being accused with inciting public violence which resulted in the loss of property worth thousands at the slain Ali`s funeral.
Sikhala in his speech at Moreblessing Ali`s memorial earlier this week unwittingly confessed to having vigilantes who operate in Chitungwiza.
“We put the security team on the ground being led by Jabu which was silently listening and gathering information.
Again, there was another team being led by Yussuf which was also working around the clock seeking information,” Sikhala said.
It is at this point unclear what locus standi this said team was using to interrogate citizens, running a parallel investigation from police.
After the memorial service, which was punctuated by inflammatory language, there was an outbreak of violence.
Youths suspected to be part of CCC were captured on camera stoning cars, one house belonging to a ZANU PF branch chairman in Nyatsime, George Murambatsvina.
Since the incident, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has been running investigations seeking to account for those who led the violence and this has led to the arrest of parliamentarians Sithole and Sikhala.
The two are being charged with inciting violence and have made an initial appearance at the Harare Magistrate`s Court, however, their bail hearing will be on Monday.
As the law takes its course there is an oddity emerging, led by Moreblessing Ali`s family, at the instigation of Sikhala.
They are using slain woman`s corpse as leverage in their attempt to blackmail the state to ignore last week`s violence.
In a statement playing to the political gallery, Moreblessing Ali`s brother Washington Ali said they will not be burying their relative`s body until Sikhala is released.
“We want our family lawyer Job Sikhala to be released so that he can continue helping us with the case, we also want the leader of our search party Godfrey Sithole to be released. No release – no burial,” the statement said.
The demand echoes Sikhala`s speech in Nyatsime where he had stated that the family will not bury Moreblessing`s body until suspects were accounted for, now that the suspect is in custody, it appears they are shifting their position.
Observers say the family is being instigated to play corpse politics by the opposition.
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