A BRUISED Nelson Chamisa lies in his hospital bed in Harare on Sunday after he was beaten up by suspected state agents (Please, see story below)

By Brian Ncube

BULAWAYO – The Zimbabwe national intelligence agency has launched a “full scale” probe of security officers it accuses of providing tear gas to the opposition during last week’s violent protests in Harare, ZimOnline has learnt. 

The Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) says some senior members of the Zimbabwean police sold the tear gas to opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party supporters ahead of last week’s violent clashes in Highfield. 

In a memorandum titled, “Origins of the grenades in opposition possession,” dated 13 March 2007, that was addressed to the ministers of defence, state security and home affairs, the CIO called for a “full-scale” probe of the matter. 

The probe, which suggests serious discontent by officers within President Robert Mugabe’s security forces, is said to be targeting senior officials in the armoury section and those at the district and station commands. 

"The demonstrators used the UKMK11number 91 and the UK L1A1 hand grenades, which emit CS and CN type of smoke and are only available in police reserves, meaning that they were clandestinely obtained from some senior police officers. 

“Junior police officers could not have sold these as they are made to account for each and every grenade they take out for operations once the operation is over, hence senior officers are answerable," reads part of the memorandum. 

Last week, ZimOnline reported that the feared CIO agency had deployed its secret agents within the security forces to purge officers who are suspected of backing the MDC. 

Last week, police fought running battles with opposition supporters in Highfield after they blocked a prayer rally organized by the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, a coalition that is fighting for political reform in Zimbabwe. 

Morgan Tsvangirai and several opposition leaders were later arrested and brutally tortured by state agents while in police custody torching violent protests and demonstrations across the country by opposition supporters. 

Tsvangirai’s torture also raised political temperatures in the southern African country with several “revenge attacks” against the police being reported last week alone. 

A police station was petrol bombed in Harare’s Marimba suburb leaving two police women seriously burnt while a train was attacked in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo. 

Sources within the state agency said Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri was last Wednesday tasked by Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi to institue an urgent probe into how the tear gas “found its way into the wrong hands”. 

“He was given a 14-day deadline to finish those investigations and furnish both the agency and the Minister with the full names of those who sold the gas. 

“The Commissioner has already drawn names of senior officers that will head the probe team, while operatives from the CID Law and Order section have been deployed to do the ground investigations," said the source. 

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijean confirmed the probe when contacted for comment at the weekend. 

“We cannot rule out the fact that some senior officers are working with the opposition in the matter. That is why we have instituted the investigations. We will not rest until we find who they are,” said Bvudzijena. 

Meanwhile, Chihuri has ordered all provincial commanders to provide weapons to undercover police officers to guard against revenge attacks by MDC supporters following last week’s crackdown against the party’s leaders. 

In a separate memorandum written last Thursday, titled, “Arming of Police Details and New Dress Order for Officers on Duty,” reference number GM63/2007, Chihuri said officers from the Criminal Investigations Department Law and Order Section and Police Internal Security Intelligence (PISI) should be provided with pistols with immediate effect. 

“The pistols should be given to all members of the PISI and CID Law and Order section who were trained in weapon handling during their induction courses at Buchwa Mine. 

“Commanders should adhere to these without fail and deploy an armed member near uniformed police officers to provide cover to them," reads part of the memorandum. 

A junior police officer in Bulawayo confirmed the latest development. 

"We were told that the situation was very volatile and officers from PISI and the Law and Order section would be armed and deployed with us or at a certain radius to provide cover,” he said. - ZimOnline