The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) said that the opposition MDC Alliance is refusing to cooperate with investigations following allegations that its leader Nelson Chamisa had survived an assassination attempt in Mutare on Tuesday.
ZRP spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the police received a report of the allegations from the MDC Alliance vice president Lynette Karenyi.
Nyathi told The Herald that a team of detectives has been dispatched to Manicaland to investigate the matter but said the MDC Alliance was not complying with investigations.
He said police had requested the MDC Alliance officials to also bring the vehicles involved in the allegations for forensic examination but they have also not been cooperating. Said Nyathi:
A report was made late at night by Lynette Karenyi and when the police requested to attend the scene, they refused.
Police then requested to have statements of the occupants of the vehicles be recorded and they refused again.
A team from the Ballistics and Forensic Unit in Mutare also wanted to attend the scene but they refused again to show them the scene or area where the incident had occurred.
… Police is ready to conduct investigations and a team of investigators has been dispatched to Mutare to conduct investigations and we want to urge them to cooperate with investigations.
Police want to attend the scene to gather evidence and if possible for any suspect involved in such allegations to be picked up.
Chamisa’s convoy was on Tuesday intercepted by heavily armed ZANU PF youth, who allegedly fired gunshots, hitting a rear window on the opposition leader’s vehicle on the outskirts of Mutare.
On Wednesday, he was blocked again by some ZANU PF youths and security details at Troutbeck turn-off in Nyanga when he was on his way to Ruwangwe.
Chamisa was also attacked in Masvingo last week by a group of ruling party supporters who were waving placards, accusing him of inviting sanctions on the country.