Yvonne Musarurwa
| Yvonne Musarurwa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Known for | Being convicted for politically charged murder of a police officer |
| Political party | MDC-T, (Thozozani Khupe faction) |
Yvonne Musarurwa is a Zimbabwean politician and activist. She is a member of the MDC-T faction led by Douglas Mwonzora. She is mostly known for being convicted, along with 3 other members of the MDC-T, of the politically motivated murder of a police officer.
On 21 April 2018, Musarurwa was elected Organising Secretary of the MDC-T faction at an extraordinary Congress in Gweru.[1].
Arrest and Imprisonment
In June 2011, Musarurwa together with several other MDC-T members was arrested for the murder of police Inspector Petros Mutedzi during an MDC-T rally at Glen View 3 Shopping Center on 28 May 2011. Mutedzi had been trying to disperse the apparently unsanctioned political gathering. He was attacked by the MDC-T youths, who allegedly stoned him to death.[2]. A total of 29 members were eventually arrested in the weeks that followed.
In September 2013, a high court judgement freed 21 of the remanded MDC-T members. Musarurwa however was placed on further remand as it was determined she had a case to answer. See: High Court Judgement - 19 September 2013.
Musarurwa was eventually released on bail by the High Court in January 2014 after spending 33 months in remand prison.[3]
Musarurwa insisted that she was innocent:
“I was nowhere close to Glen View on the day in question,” says Musarurwa. “I was at a Youth for peace meeting.”[4]
On 12 December 2016, Musarurwa along with Tungamirai Madzokere and Last Maengahama, was convicted of the murder charge. They were sentenced to 20 years in prison each.[5] She was however freed in March 2018 under a Presidential Amnesty granted to 3,000 prisoners.[6]
Arrest for assault
On November 24 2021, Yvonne Musarurwa was arrested for allegedly assaulting Thokozani Khupe's aide Kudzanai Mashumba at a Press conference in October 2021. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed Musarurwa's arrest, saying some of Musarurwa’s co-accused were on the run.[7] Musarurwa and others claimed that Mashumba was no longer a member of the party and therefore he had no right to talk to the press about anything related to the MDC-T.[8]
In October 2023, Musarurwa was fined US$100 (or four months in jail) by a Harare magistrate after she was convicted of assaulting Mashumba.[9]
Personal
Musaruwa is a Seventh Day Adventist. She is a single mother of 1 daughter. She said that her spending time in prison was a blessing in disguise at it had strengthened her faith in God. [4]
References
- ↑ Thokozani Khupe Unveils Party Leadership, Pindula News, Published: 21 April 2018, Retrieved: 22 April 2018
- ↑ Six more cop murder suspects arrested, The Chronicle, Published: 5 June 2011 , Retrieved: 21 April 2018
- ↑ MDC-T activist recounts remand prison experience, The Standard, Published: 3 February 2014, Retrieved: 21 April 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Musarurwa: A hard-core activist or an impressionable girl?, The Financial Gazette, Published: 13 March 2014, Retrieved: 21 April 2018
- ↑ MDC-T cop killers jailed 20yrs each, The Herald, Published: 13 Dec 2016 , Retrieved: 21 April 2018
- ↑ Jubilation as MDC-T activist Musarurwa leaves prison, NewsDay, Published: 23 March 2018, Retrieved: 21 April 2018
- ↑ MOSES MATENGA, Mwonzora MP arrested, NewsDay, Published: November 25, 2021, Retrieved: November 26, 2021
- ↑ Gibbs Dube, MDC-T Activists Beat up Thokozani Khupe’s Former Bodyguard Claiming Massive Abuse of Party Funds by Mwonzora, VOA, Published: October 21, 2021, Retrieved: April 7, 2022
- ↑ Yeukai Karengezeka, Former MDC legislator fined for assault, The Herald, Published: 27 October 2023, Retrieved: 06 November 2023
