MDC Alliance said it will not compensate anyone for the damages incurred during the national stay-away.
The party’s vice president Morgen Komichi told the Daily News that his party was not behind the crippling protests. This comes after government blamed MDC-Alliance and its alleged allies for organising demonstrations that turned into an orgy of violence, arson and looting.
National Security minister of State Owen Ncube said those whose property was destroyed and goods looted should quantify damages and report to the nearest police station.
“Government places responsibility for compensation for victims of the violence, destruction of property, injury and loss of life on the MDC-Alliance and all its associates,” Ncube said at a press briefing.
He claimed the MDC-Alliance’s Democratic Resistance Committee (DRC) and their alleged paramilitary wing, the Vanguard, allegedly led the “highly organised criminal activities” during the unrest.
However, Komichi said the stay-away was planned by angry and frustrated Zimbabweans who are tired of suffering, and said the MDC will not be compensating anyone.
“None of the MDC leaders called for a stay-away and we can’t be labelled as having organised the shutdown merely because we are political leaders. We are also citizens and we are affected by the same problems that the rest of the Zimbabweans were protesting against.
“When we want to call for action, we call for press conferences and post on social media but we did not announce the stay-away because it was organised by aggrieved citizens and not MDC,” Komichi said.
He added that Zanu-PF is the reason why people took to the streets therefore government is to be held liable to claims by members of the public whose property was lost.
Komichi said if the ruling party cares about the people, it should take responsibility for the damages and approach and engage its people with love.
“They should stop obligating the governance of the country to MDC and take responsibility for their actions. They are indirectly handing over power to president Nelson Chamisa because they have failed the people.
– dailynews