BULAWAYO - Police in Bubi district in Matabeleland North province arrested and detained for seven days without charge Sibangani Kesa, an official from the mainstream MDC party, for distributing the party’s newsletter The Changing Times.

Kesa, who is the MDC ward 12 chairman in Bubi district, was arrested on 15 July at Drumland Resettlement area by two plain clothes police officers and detained at Inyathi and Lupane police stations for a week, only to be released on Friday without charge.

The two police officers who arrested him are believed to have been tipped off by some Zanu PF officials in the area.

Relating the incident to the Daily News at MDC Bulawayo province offices where he has sought refuge, Kesa said he was arrested near his homestead in Drumland resettlement area whilst distributing the party newsletter he had brought from Bulawayo to villagers.

“I was arrested on 15 July and detained at Inyathi police station for five days before being transferred to Lupane police station where I was again detained for another two days before my release without a charge on Friday 22 July,” said Kesa.

He said before his arrest, Sithembiso Ndlovu, the Zanu PF councilor for Ward 12 in Bubi, had threatened him several times that she would fix him over his MDC activities.

Bubi –Unguza constituency is a Zanu PF stronghold under mines minister Obert Mpofu. MDC chairman for Matabeleland North Sengezo Tshabangu confirmed Kesa’s arrest saying: “Zanu PF is on a crusade to intimidate and harass our party members using the security agents.”

When contacted for comment, Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Trust Ndlovu said he was out office.

Kesa’s arrest came at a time when a 76-year-old white commercial farmer and miner Mike Van Royen was arrested in Matobo in Matabeleland South province in a move viewed as meant to facilitate the grabbing of his farming and mining business by Zanu PF officials.

Van Royen was arrested on Friday in Bulawayo on charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe.
He runs Cynthia Mine and Asher Estates in Matobo district, which was a scene of earlier clashes between a group of Zanu PF youth and Van Royen workers as the Zanu PF supporters sought to take over the venture by force.