MDC official charged with killing policeman

Harare police have charged an MDC official with murdering a policeman during skirmishes that erupted in the CBD between street vendors and police late last month. MDC youth chairperson Barnabas Mwanaka denies the murder charge, which his lawyer, Tonderai Bhatasara, described as 'definitely politically-motivated’. A report on the News24 site notes that he said his client was attending a funeral at the time of the alleged murder. The dead policeman has been identified as Talkmore Phiri, a member of the police anti-riot squad. The violence was triggered after police tried to evict street vendors plying their trade outside the government’s deeds office.

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