Zimbabwean police have announced a fresh ban on protests in the capital Harare, state media said Tuesday, in another attempt to end demonstrations against veteran ruler President Robert Mugabe.
The order came hours after a coalition of opposition parties said they would stage mass protests across the country on Saturday to push for reform before elections due in 2018.
An earlier protest ban in Harare was overturned by the courts last week, despite Mugabe vowing a crackdown on dissent and blasting judges for “reckless” rulings allowing previous demonstrations.
In a notice in the state-run Herald newspaper on Tuesday, Harare police chief Newbert Saunyama said a ban would be imposed on “holding of public demonstrations” for one month starting on Friday.
Anti-government campaigners vowed to defy the order and appeal to the courts.
“These are the last kicks of a dying regime and we expected no better from them,” Douglas Mwozora, spokesman for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition party, told AFP.
“They have no respect for the law but we are not going to surrender our constitutional right. We are going back to the courts to challenge this illegal ban.”
Hardlife Mudzingwa, spokesman for the pressure group Tajamuka (We are agitated), told AFP: “We will not heed this unconstitutional declaration by the police.”
Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party won the last general elections in 2013 which were marred by electoral fraud.
Analysis
I think that this entire issue is based on a lack of authority. Rather proper authority. Mugabe only won in 2003 because he cheated. He’s been accused of allowing inhumane things to happen to his people. He should not be in office, or have any power over the people of Zimbabwe. He doesn’t have the authority to silence his people like that. Also he doesn’t have the power to attempt and silence the court. On the other hand, the lack of cooperation form the people pf Zimbabwe will just result in violence. I believe that the people of Zimbabwe should absolutely defy the police order and appeal to the courts, but they need to do so in a civilized manner. I think what Mugabe is doing is absolute wrong. He needs to be removed, and charged. His attempt to silence the people with his “holding of public demonstrations” for one month will fail. You cannot silence the people that make up your country.