Armed police raid on opposition base casts further doubt on coalition

Published on Saturday 24 October 2009 19:55

ZIMBABWE police have raided a house used by executives of prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party, claiming they were searching for weapons.

Tendai Biti, secretary-general of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said about 50 armed police had "ransacked" the house in a Harare suburb on Friday night. He said the raid was "provocation" by Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party, who wanted to see the unity government fail. "They are behind this attack," he said.

It highlights the fragile relationship between president Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, and signals deteriorating relationships between them in the coalition government.

Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing administration with the long-time opposition leader in February after disputed elections last year. Tsvangirai withdrew temporarily from the coalition government on 16 October.

The house that was raided is used by MDC executives who visit from outside the capital.

Biti said a guard, Moffat Nyandure, and his wife were assaulted. Police then told Nyandure to dig in the yard around the house in search of weapons. He was made to dig with his bare hands for five hours.

A room occupied by a party official, who was at the house at the time of the raid, was searched and "valuable party documents" were taken, Biti said. Police claimed they had a search warrant.

"Our decision of pulling out of the inclusive government infuriated Zanu-PF and this is the price we now pay for that decision," Biti said.

While both parties have said they are committed to the coalition, many feel it is doomed to collapse. Tsvangirai has condemned unilateral moves by the president to fill government posts, continuing human rights violations and attacks on activists by Zanu-PF militants and security forces.

The catalyst for Tsvangirai's withdrawal was the prosecution of Roy Bennett, a popular party member nominated as deputy agriculture minister.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully tried to send Bennett back to jail to await trial on charges linked to discredited allegations that he had plotted the violent overthrow of Mugabe.

"These acts of harassment are an attempt to intimidate us, but we will not be intimidated and our disengagement will not be reversed until outstanding issues are resolved," Biti said.

Tsvangirai last week travelled to meet regional leaders to explain his party's withdrawal. Regional ministers will visit Zimbabwe on Thursday to investigate the move.

Biti said the MDC was adamant it would not return to the coalition until there was movement from Mugabe's party.

However, Mugabe and his party have treated Tsvangirai's boycott with contempt verging on indifference.

In his first comments on the issue, Mugabe called the split a "non-event" and said his party would not change its course.

"No amount of pressure will make Zanu-PF yield to any one of their demands," he told state television.