The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has arrested several MDC Alliance top officials after they went to the party’s headquarters, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (MRT) House on Friday.
Among those arrested are the party’s deputy presidents Tendai Biti and Lynette Karenyi-Kore, deputy International Relations secretary Lovemore Chinoputsa, deputy secretary-general Chimhini and Vongai Tome.
MDC Alliance Secretary for International Relations, Gladys Hlatywayo tweeted:
I have been arrested together with VP Biti, VP Kore, Deputy International Relations Leader Lovemore Chinoputsa, DSG Chimhini and Leader Vongai Tome. Our crime is presenting ourselves at MRT House. We are currently at Harare Central Police Station.
The arrests come after youths aligned to the Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T faction seized the party’s headquarters on Thursday night allegedly with support from the military and police.
The seizure of the offices formerly called Harvest House follows a Supreme Court ruling in March which installed Khupe as the original MDC-T’s acting president ahead of an extraordinary congress to elect a substantive president.