Police deny arresting deputy CCC spokesperson Ostallos Siziba

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has dismissed social media reports that Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) deputy spokesman Gift Siziba was arrested on Tuesday while campaigning in Bulawayo.

In a statement on its X handle, the Zimbabwe Republic Police said Siziba was only approached, together with his campaign team, by police officers who wanted to know what they were doing after receiving complaints from members of the public.

“The ZRP dismisses social media postings alleging that Gift Ostallos Siziba was arrested by the police while conducting door-to-door campaigns in Bulawayo on 09/01/24,” it said

“The police only approached Gift Ostallos Siziba and his campaign team to account for what they were doing after receiving complaints from members of the public.”

Siziba is vying to reclaim the Pelandaba-Tshabalala constituency after he was recalled from the National Assembly by CCC interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu on the grounds that he had ceased to be a member of the opposition party.

He however, went on to his file nomination papers to contest under the same party in the February 3 by-elections.

In December last year the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission disqualified some CCC candidates from standing in by-elections on the basis that they had been recalled by the party they were running under, forcing the electoral body to redesign ballot papers.

This has forced some CCC candidates to stand as independent candidates to circumvent that hurdle.

New Ziana