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Mnangagwa can report if he was poisoned: ZRP speaks

HARARE: The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is still to receive any formal complaints to enable them to investigate the alleged poisoning of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Gwanda while attending a Zanu PF youth interface meeting, the Daily News can report.

More than two weeks after the incident involving one of the most senior politicians in the country, no one has contacted the ZRP as yet to make any formal complaint following claims that the vice president was poisoned by rivals who are desperate to eliminate him, physically, from succeeding President Robert Mugabe.

Police spokesperson, senior assistant commissioner Charity Charamba, told the Daily News on Thursday that the law enforcement agents cannot look into the allegations without a formal complaint, adding that it was up to any potential victim(s) to come forward to tell their stories to the force.

“So far, we have checked with all police institutions; so far we don’t have a report,” she told the Daily News in a telephone interview.

“Poisoning involves gathering evidence, so as police we did not receive a report, which enables us to proceed with proper investigations. I have spoken to Pro-Pol Mat South (officer commanding Matabeleland South Province), ndokurikunzi zvakaitikira (that’s where the incident allegedly transpired), they haven’t received any report.

“We have checked everywhere, there is no report. I have checked with CID (Criminal Investigations Department), there is no report. Once we receive the report, it will be investigated,” she added.

Charamba said if anyone out there feels that they have been the victim of any type of crime, they must call the police, file their report, and let their officers do their work.

Although one should report any crime to the police as soon as possible, no one is under obligation to do so.

A crime can be reported at any police station, either verbally or in writing.
Because no complaint has been formally filed in the case of Mnangagwa’s suspected food poisoning, any consideration of whether a statute of limitation could limit law enforcement involvement remains a moot point, legal experts said this week.

Government has not commented on whether it has begun the probe on the alleged poisoning.

Mnangagwa’s wife, Auxilia, who is the legislator for Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe, told the Daily News on Thursday that she was in a meeting and promised to call back, but had not done so at the time of going to Press.

Mnangagwa’s son Emmerson Jnr told the Daily News earlier this week:

“I appreciate your concern regarding his health…I am sure his office will make a statement at the appropriate time”.
Efforts to obtain comment from Clifford Sibanda, the minister in the vice president’s office were futile. daily news