Opposition National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader Professor Lovemore Madhuku has slammed the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), accusing the force of distorting facts surrounding the assault on him and his party members in Harare on Sunday.
He claims the police are attempting to distance themselves from what he describes as a coordinated attack at his party's head office.
The incident occurred as Madhuku and a dozen NCA members convened to deliberate on Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3. NCA leaders say the purpose of the meeting was to reaffirm their opposition to the proposed changes which include the extension of the presidential term to seven years.
Instead, the gathering was interrupted by masked men who attacked the group; several members sustained injuries and later received treatment at a local hospital in Harare.
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Madhuku alleges that the assailants who stormed the premises had covered their faces with balaclavas. He further claims that they were brought to the party offices by the police. According to him, two police trucks were parked outside the premises at the time of the attack.
"There were two police trucks parked outside... The police were with them. There were two police vehicles there, but the police said nothing. They just sat there watching," Madhuku said.
He maintains that the attackers moved directly towards him and his colleagues while officers looked on.
In response, the Zimbabwe Republic Police rejected any suggestion of involvement. National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi issued a statement denying wrongdoing and asserting that the force was keen to establish what had transpired.
"For the record the police were not involved.
"In actual fact, Professor Lovemore Madhuku and his team had previously notified the relevant regulating authority regarding their intended meeting. Upon reviewing the notification, the regulating authority identified certain irregularities and engaged National Constitutional Assembly convener and advised him that the meeting was not sanctioned," Nyathi said.
However, addressing journalists in Harare on Monday, Madhuku firmly rejected that account. He insisted that the meeting was internal and therefore did not require police notification under the law.
"I'm very much disappointed by that because that's a lie. Its not true. The NCA never informed the police about the meeting on Sunday. We would not have informed them. We know the law of the country. An internal meeting does not require police notification. So, we never did it. We never received anything from the police and therefore it is a complete fabrication by the police," Madhuku said.
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The constitutional lawyer added that the call to make a formal report is misplaced because he believes the police were directly involved.
"We also know that their aim is to say you should come and report to us, now we have discussed it as the leadership and we are very clear. We are not reporting anything to the police when they are the perpetrators? We know it. It was the police that came in to do that. We are not stupid," Madhuku fumed.
In recent weeks, police have declined to authorise several public meetings intended to discuss the proposed Bill.
A few weeks ago, meetings organised by Accountability Lab Zimbabwe to deliberate on the Bill were blocked in Harare and Bulawayo. Groups opposed to the Bill argue that space for public engagement is narrowing.
Madhuku argues that the proposed changes affect core constitutional provisions and therefore require direct approval by the electorate. He has also insisted that, if pursued, the amendment should be subjected to two separate referendums.
