Johnathan Paoli
A media briefing held by the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) on updates concerning alleged misconduct and irregularities at voting stations in Harare was interrupted on Saturday, as three unidentified men harassed and attempted to arrest party spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi.
Mkwananzi was updating the media at the SAPES Trust offices in Milton Park, Harare, and informed them about alleged attacks on its members across the country after the Harmonised General Elections on 23 August 2023.
The men approached the podium, grabbed the spokesperson’s papers and attempted to drag him to their vehicles, before being encircled by journalists and others who demanded they identify themselves.
Following the incident, the Zimbabwean Republican Police issued a statement in which they said Mkwananzi was sought in connection with a warrant of arrest issued by the Harare Magistrate Court on 22 April 2020 for defaulting court proceedings.
Former Tajamuka activist, Mkwananzi had been appointed as the new national spokesperson the previous day, replacing Advocate Fadzayi Mahere.
Mahere took over as the interim spokesperson for the CCC in 2022 when the party transitioned from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
Mkwananzi is a former President of the Zimbabwe National Student Union (ZINASU), serving from 2006 to 2007, and previously faced expulsion from the University of Zimbabwe and was arrested multiple times for his involvement in leading student protests against the government.
This follows on preliminary reports by the CCC that the party has taken all the 12 parliamentary seats in Bulawayo while Zanu-PF won all 18 seats in Mashonaland Central, and got 23 out of 26 in Masvingo province.
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