Zimbabwe’s police have arrested a Minister in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party for branding State President Robert Mugabe a liar.

By Nkosana Dlamini, Zimbabwe

Jameson Timba, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s office, was picked by police at his Harare government offices Friday afternoon.

“He is being charged with undermining the authority of the president,” party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said Friday evening. He is being held by the Law and Order section at Harare Central police.

“We are very, very suspicious of this arrest as it comes at the instigation of Jonathan Moyo - top Mugabe defender and former Information Minister - and is based on a newspaper article which Honourable Timba did not write and it coming on a Friday, we suspect police are just trying to harass him."

His MDC party claimed Friday night police were denying party lawyers access to the businessman turned politician.

At party level, Timba is the secretary for international relations and international co-operation.

Police spokespersons could not be reached for comment.

Changes to electoral system
But according to his party, police were basing the arrest on a newspaper story that appeared in a recent South African publication where Timba claimed President Mugabe and his ministers had misinformed
the nation on the outcome of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) summit held in Sandton, Johannesburg, two weeks ago.

Mugabe claimed regional leaders had rejected attempts by his coalition partners to force through a raft of changes to the country’s political and electoral system that have long been manipulated by the incumbent
to rig polls.

The MDC has vehemently resisted Mugabe’s attempts to call for fresh polls when the country’s political environment was still very tense.

But Mugabe, in power since 1980, is adamant Zimbabwe’s polls should go ahead this year saying he was fed up cohabitating with the enemy.

Third arrest
Timba is the third opposition minister within Zimbabwe’s coalition government to be arrested on criminal charges.

His arrest also comes amid fears Tsvangirai could also be arrested after he also told a party meeting last week that Mugabe had lied about the SADC summit outcome.

Tsvangirai and the country’s partisan security commanders have publicly traded accusations with both parties labelling each other a security threat.

Tsvangirai wants a recomposition of the country’s security commanders who have declared they will never accept any poll outcome which does not see Mugabe as the winner.