Zimbabwe

Armed police raid MDC house

Article published on the 2009-10-24 Latest update 2009-10-24 15:09 TU

Morgan Tsvangirai announces his boycott of the power-sharing government earlier this month
(Photo: Reuters)

Zimbabwean police raided a house belonging to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on Saturday.

Armed police officers, who claimed they were searching for weapons, ended up ransacking the property, MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti told a news conference in Harare.

The raid came just over a week after the MDC suspended contact with President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF, with which it is supposed to be sharing power.

The MDC wants the Central Bank chief and Attorney-General replaced. It also accuses police of harassing its members and the media of spreading hate speech, says Harare correspondent Ryan Truscott.

Today's edition of the state-owned Herald newspaper said Mugabe has vowed not to give in to the MDC's demands.

"It certainly looks as if the power-sharing deal is near to collapse," comments Truscott. "We hear reports that three principals to the agreement, that is Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe as well as the leader of the MDC faction Professor Arthur Mutambara are due to meet on Monday to deliberate on this issue but that hasn’t been confirmed by the MDC."