Mugabe party official's house fire-bombed in Zimbabwe
A senior official from Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's party has been hospitalised after his house was fire-bombed ahead of a weekend constitutional referendum, police said Wednesday.
William Chapepa, who is running for election as a local government councillor in the eastern Manicaland province later this year, was attacked on Tuesday.
It comes just over two weeks after a similar attack on a 12-year old son of a senior regional official of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The boy died after the hut he was sleeping in was fire-bombed in a rural town also in the east of Zimbabwe.
Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba confirmed the attack to AFP, but said she would release the details on Thursday.
The United States of America embassy said it is "deeply concerned" about "this terrible occurrence."
It urged the police to probe and swiftly prosecute the perpetrators of both attacks.
"Respect for the rule of law and apolitical policing are also essential for creating the conditions for credible and non-violent Zimbabwean elections later this year," said the embassy in a statement.
Zimbabweans will hold a referendum on Saturday on a draft constitution, that will pave the way to elections set for later this year.
The vote will end the strained compromise government set up by Mugabe and Tsvangirai after chaotic polls in 2008.
- Sapa