Chief Muusha Fines CCC Activists For "Insulting" Him
Two CCC activists who are brothers were reportedly fined three goats by a traditional leader for defying a local headman’s directive to vote for ZANU PF in the 23 August 2023 elections.
Knowledge and Solomon Tambwera appeared before Chief Muusha’s traditional court last Saturday, on charges of defying Charles Manzou’s directive to vote for ZANU PF candidates in the Harmonised Elections.
Solomon told The Standard that on 20 August, Manzou called a meeting in the Mutsangani area where he announced that he had been sent by Chief Muusha to order every villager in the ward to vote for the ruling party.
He further claimed that he (Solomon), and his brother had to sleep in the bush for three days after they were alerted that ZANU PF activists intended to attack them. Said Solomon:
On August 26, we received a letter from Chief Muusha ordering us to appear before his court to answer charges emanating from our protest at the meeting.
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When we attended the court, the chief claimed that we insulted him by refusing to heed headman Manzou’s order to vote for ZANU PF.
After failing to prove the allegations, the chief with the concurrence of the headman fined us three goats for essentially exercising our democratic rights.
We were given until the end of September to pay the fine.
Solomon said he had reported the case to the police and is now appealing to human rights lawyers for assistance.
Headman Manzou admitted that he held a meeting on the eve of the harmonised elections with villagers but denied allegations that he instructed them to vote for ZANU PF. He said:
I was sent by the chief to remind his people to vote. The chief told me that the directive came from (his seniors) above.
At the meeting, two young men challenged me and argued that what I was saying to them was not in order as it amounted to forcing people to vote against their will.
I informed the chief about this and he in turn summoned the two young men to his court.
He felt insulted by the two’s actions of openly challenging his directive and fined them three goats.
Chief Muusha confirmed to The Standard that he fined the two brothers for “insulting” him. He said:
It was not even clear what was said at the meeting but the headman told me that the two brothers told him that what he was telling them did not make sense and dismissed him.
They disrespected me by dismissing my headman.
In June, during a meeting held at Muusha Primary School, Chief Muusha reportedly threatened his subjects with unspecified action if they voted for CCC.
More: Pindula News
