'I am being harassed' - Harare mayor

'I am being harassed' - Harare mayor

ENGINEER MUDZURI

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By Staff Reporter

FORMER Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri who was fired from his job by the government on Friday has denied any wrongdoing and said the move was politically motivated.

"The world must know that I am being punished for nothing," he told The Associated Press, adding that he had been warned that he could be arrested soon. "I am being harassed."

Mugabe's administration has sought to crack down on dissent since his disputed re-election in 2002 amid reports of vote rigging and intimidation.

Opposition leaders, trade unionists and independent journalists have been arrested, and the country's only independent daily newspaper has been shut down under tough new media laws. Mugabe has also been accused of packing the courts with sympathetic judges.

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo announced the dismissal of Mudzuri on Friday.

Since the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won control of City Council in 2002, the municipal authority has clashed repeatedly with the national government over its policies and finances.

The opposition has repeatedly accused Mugabe's government of interfering with the city council and victimizing Mudzuri.

As head of the municipality, Mudzuri faced two inquiries by government-appointed committees. Both found he acted improperly while in office.

Mudzuri was suspended soon after his April 2003 arrest for allegedly holding a political meeting declared illegal under stringent security laws. He said he was meeting with city residents to discuss deteriorating city services.

Some city services, including garbage removal and fire and emergency services, have been cut back as Zimbabwe faces its worst economic crisis since independence in 1980.
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