NPRC Acts on Video of CowdrayPark Women Abused by ZRP Members

After seeing the CITE produced video of Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park women who narrate how they were brutalized by the police during the Covid19 lockdown period, MIHR posted the video on its Facebook page and appealed to National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to act in ensuring justice is served.

The NPRC Commissioner Charles Masunungure then responded by saying “As NPRC Commissioner responsible for Complaints Handling and Investigations I have taken note of the video footage and tomorrow we are instituting our investigations into the matter. Citizens are urged to make use of our WhatsApp platform +263714035328”

True to the Commissioner’s statement, today the NPRC posted a picture (posted here above) and a message “NPRC Commissioner Ncube this morning led a team of our investigations officers to visit the two complainants and record their statements.”

As Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights we wish to express our gratitutde to the NPRC for being proactive and giving this issue the urgny it deserves. WMost of our people have lost hope and confidence in the pursuit for justice, but it is when we have active independent institutions like Commissions that the hope of the citizes for justice can be revived and rekindlded. We also ask the NPRC, ZHRC and ZGC to consider the contents o the appeal letter we sent them today.

MIHR also encourages citizens not to habour human rights violations dne to them but to utilie the indepedent commissios.

Last but not least we appreciate and thank CITE for a sterling work of exposing injustices in our communities. Had CITE not done its tremendous work, this issue would have gone unreported and unknown.