Barbourfields Stadium Chaos: CCC Deputy Spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba Arrested In Football Violence Probe
Ruva J Mandizha by Ruva J MandizhaSeptember 14, 2023
Babourfields Stadium Chaos: CCC Deputy Spokesperson Ostallos Siziba Arrested In Football Violence Probe
Gift Ostallos Siziba. Image Credit: Zimpapers
Barbourfields Stadium Chaos: CCC Deputy Spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba Arrested In Football Violence Probe
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator for Tshabalala-Pelandaba, Gift Ostallos Siziba, was reportedly arrested on Wednesday on allegations of inciting violence.
According to ZimLive, Siziba, who is also the main opposition’s deputy spokesperson, was later released and ordered to appear in court on Friday.
He faces accusations of inciting the football violence that led to the abrupt termination of last Sunday’s premiership clash between Dynamos and Highlanders at Barbourfields.
Football Frenzy: 19 Arrests Made In Babourfields Stadium Fury
CCC Deputy Spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba Arrested Over Barbourfields Stadium Football Violence Instigation
The match was marred by ugly skirmishes after match officials overlooked appeals for a penalty award to the trailing Highlanders.
The chaotic scene escalated just before the halftime break when a throng of Highlanders supporters stormed the pitch and began attacking police officers.
Despite the unrest at the venue and subsequent running battles between law enforcement and overzealous football fans outside the stadium, it was not immediately clear how Siziba, a politician and supporter of Highlanders, allegedly instigated the violence.
Siziba’s party, the CCC, dismissed the allegations as “false”.
In a statement, they said,
“The regime has intensified its crackdown against our members after a shambolic, disorganised, rigged, and fraudulent election. This continued persecution must stop.”
A Pattern Of Persecution?
Siziba’s arrest comes on the heels of fellow party politician Maureen Kademaunga, MP for Sunningdale, who was charged with attempted murder and malicious damage to property.
CCC MP Maureen Kademaunga Walks Free: Attempted Murder Charges Dropped
These charges were dismissed in court after the lawmaker spent a night in a police cell.
The decision came after the prosecution failed to produce evidence linking her to the alleged crimes.
Kademaunga was arrested on Tuesday alongside Councillor Ward 10 Clayd Mashozhera and Daudi Jessub.
Her arrest sent shockwaves through the political landscape, with her party, CCC, vehemently denouncing the charges as “flimsy and cooked-up.”
