Robert Mugabe

Zimbabwe’s Energy Minister Elton Mangoma was on Wednesday briefly arrested for allegedly wishing Zimbabwe’s President Robert  Mugabe to die .

Minister Elton Mangoma was arrested from his Ministry offices at Chaminuka building and  detained at Harare central police CID Law and Order Section

According to the arresting officer, one Detective Sergeant Kamzimbi, Mangoma allegedly said “Mugabe Chifa, Mugabe Chibva” (Loosely translated Mugabe die, Mugabe go). This, the police say undermined the authority of the president,Nehanda Radio reports

The spokesman for his party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Douglas Mwonzora said his release came after a lot of pressure from the party and the diplomatic community.

Mwonzora condemned the minister’s arrest just 24 hours before a scheduled meeting with members of South African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team which is in the country to meet representatives of the three main parties in the coalition government.

Mangoma sits on the MDC-T’s management committee, made up of negotiators from Zanu PF, the MDC and MDC-T. On the agenda of Thursday’s meeting is preparations for the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference on the draft constitution set to get underway on October 21 and run through to October 23.

By UP