All three WOZA members arrested yesterday, including Magodonga Mahlangu, were finally released at 1pm today. They have been charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – section 140 – malicious damage to property and section 143 (b) – ‘ the crime of malicious damage to property or negligently causing serious damage to property is committed against property that is owned, possessed or controlled by the State, a statutory corporation or a local authority.’ These charges are as a result of recent calls to choose love over hate that have appeared on roads in the western suburbs of Bulawayo. There is no evidence whatsoever to link any of the three arrested with the road markings however.

The two other members arrested, Rosemary Siziba and Sitshiyiwe Ngwenya, were picked up from their homes late last night and taken to Donnington Police Station, where they were held until lunch today. Rosemary Siziba was with her one and a half year old daughter. Mahlangu spent the night at Figtree Police Station, some 40km outside of Bulawayo.

None of the members were physically harmed but Law and Order officers Ngwenya, Mathonsi and Mutyayambidzi threatened Mahlangu with death whilst still in Bulawayo Central Police Station; telling her that she would meet the same fate as her dog, Snowy, which was battered to death by police officers during a raid on Mahlangu’s home in recent weeks.

In the last week, police have raided and searched the homes of two other members looking for paint, although they did not find any in either home.