In November 2001, Madhuku was detained without charge for leading a demonstration after Soldiers allegedly strangled a student and threw him from a train. According to Journalist Geoffrey Nyarota, Madhuku was also subject to a smear campaign by state-owned media. Madhuku has stated that his country home was burned down and his house in Harare badly damaged by attacks. In February 2004, he was arrested during a protest, beaten, and left for dead outside Harare. On recovering, he stated, "We will not be deterred by the beatings and the cruelty of this regime. They can only stop us by killing us." In October of the same year, Mugabe's government introduced a bill into parliament seeking to ban nongovernmental organizations, including the NCA. In November 2006, he was charged with organizing an illegal protest, but a magistrate later dismissed the charges. Police assaulted him again in March 2007, breaking his arm and leaving him with cuts to the head and body.