February 22, 2002
Shots fired at opposition leader
Zimbabwean police on Friday, February 22, allegedly shot at the convoy
of opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai on
his way to a campaign rally in a rural district in the south of the country.
Two shots were fired by a police surveillance team trailing the convoy,
MDC spokesman Learnmore Jongwe told IRIN that no one was injured in the
attack. The incident followed an earlier use of teargas by the police on an
impromptu crowd that had gathered when Tsvangirai stopped for a lunch break on
his way to Maringe village, 70 km from Masvingo. "The police said the gathering
was illegal under the terms of the Public Order and Security Act. As MDC
security started moving people back, they began firing teargas into the crowd,"
Jongwe said. When Tsvangirai's convoy left, a trailing police vehicle allegedly
opened fire. The MDC leader's visit to the rural areas around Masvingo have
been cancelled.
Jongwe said he was not aware of whether a complaint had been lodged with
the police. "It maybe futile to report the incident to the same people that are
shooting at us ... The police have been instrumental in derailing our
campaign." (IRIN)
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