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    HomeLocal NewsGovt pokes holes in MDC trio abduction claim

    Govt pokes holes in MDC trio abduction claim

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    Harare (New Ziana) – The government on Thursday said preliminary investigations into the alleged abduction of three MDC Alliance youth members last month pointed to a stage managed event as there were glaring inconsistencies in their narrative of events.

    The trio, Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova allege that they were abducted and tortured by unknown state operatives last month after participating in an unsanctioned demonstration in Warren Park.

    Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said investigations into the case had so far revealed several inconsistencies.

    He said, for instance, technical evidence at hand showed that the women were still moving around Harare hours after the alleged abduction.

    “The most compelling discrepancy is in the analysis of the technical evidence available to the investigation concerning the trio’s movements from 12 May 2020 up to mid-morning on 14 May 2020. This evidence, which is irrefutable shows very clearly that the three converged somewhere in Harare in the morning of 13 May 2020, drove along Samora Machel Avenue to Warren Park where they spent just under two hours and then drove back together to the Harare CBD via Rugare, Lochinvar and Harare Kopje.

    “The evidence does not place any of them on Samora Machel Avenue between Warren Park and Harare CBD or at either of the two roadblocks at National Sports Stadium and the Harare Showgrounds where they claim to have been abducted,” he said.

    “The evidence also places the trio somewhere in the Kopje area around the vicinity of the Fidelity Life Towers before they moved to the vicinity of Advocates Chambers in Old Mutual Building where Chamisa’s private offices are incidentally located. They spent substantial unexplained time in both locations.”

    From Advocates Chambers the women visited several other places including Cecilia’s residence in the avenues, Belgravia and Fidelity Life Towers for the second time around 21:39 hours.

    “These movements are taking place long after they claimed to have been abducted and after they also claimed to have left their phones in Joanna Mamombe’s parked and locked car,” he said.

    Police stationed at both roadblocks along Samora Machel Avenue have all testified to not seeing the women on the day in question.

    The women initially claimed that they had been arrested at a roadblock mounted near the National Sports Stadium, but they are now claiming that they were arrested at the Harare Show Grounds roadblock just outside the Central Business District.

    “It is perhaps understandable that this misrepresentation may be intended to avoid incriminating themselves against the charges that have been leveled against them in relation to their participation in the illegal Warren Park demonstration. This therefore renders it difficult for anyone to tell which is fact or fiction in their accounts.”

    Kazembe said another inconsistent line in the trio’s story was Mamombe’s claim that she owned the car the women were driving on the day, when in fact the vehicle is owned by one Andrew Manongore.

    “More substantively, pertinent to the present case is that while Joana Mamombe and her fellow complainants claim that they parked the vehicle behind TM supermarket, Orr Street Harare on 13 May, 2020 in the process of their being arrested, there are witnesses who claim that the vehicle was only parked there on Saturday 16 May, 2020 after 3pm where it was discovered on 18 May, 2020,” he said.

    The women are now also denying having participated in the illegal demonstration in Warren Park high density suburb despite there being pictorial evidence and also having initially confessed to participating in the demonstration.

    Kazembe said the police were also denied access to the three when they sought to record official statements from them as they were advised that the women were too traumatised to speak, but ironically, the trio were granting media interviews and also entertaining visitors including party officials and foreign diplomats.

    “As a result, police only managed to record official statements from Cecilia Chimbiri on 19 May, 2020 and from Joanna Mamombe and Netsai Marova on 25 May, 2020, one week and two weeks after the alleged abduction, respectively,” he said.

    “Needless to say, without at all pre-emptying due process of the law, their three statements show glaring signs of rehearsal and even possible coaching which may not stand up to rigorous cross examination.”

    Kazembe said results of a medical examination carried out on the three women said there were no injuries or swelling consistent with the torture they claimed to have been subjected to.

    The medical examination was carried out in the presence of two human rights doctors of their choice on May 15.

    “In a bid to ascertain that if there was any rape or sexual assault, samples were taken and results are pending,” he said.

    New Ziana

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