that the commemorations would be held in Bulawayo,
Masvingo, Gweru, Mutare and Kadoma, which were all
cleared by police. However police turned down a
request to hold the same event in Harare on the basis
of the ban on political rallies despite several
meetings and rallies being held by Zanu (PF).
‘This is a very unique day especially to us the youths
of Zimbabwe who have suffered immensely from the
Mugabe regime,’ Mahlangu. ‘We call upon all the youths
to come to the various venues and be part of this
important event. We commemorate the June 16 1976
Sharpeville Massacres by the apartheid regime in South
Africa.’
The venues for the rallies shall be as follows: White
City Arena in Bulawayo, Mkoba Stadium in Gweru,
Chisamba Business Centre in Mutare and Rimuka Stadium
in Kadoma.
Mhlangu said that the commemorations will be led by
the MDC youth assembly in the other three cities, save
for Mutare where they will be done under the Save
Zimbabwe coalition.
‘We have the solidarity and support of our South
African colleagues who are worried about our situation
here. We are commemorating this day when many of our
members and colleagues are languishing in prison over
trumped-up charges based on political repression,’ he
added.
More than 700 students were massacred by the apartheid
regime in SA after massive protests against abuses and
repression, a situation similar to what is currently
unfolding in Zimbabwe. It was not immediately clear
how the state plans to respond to the weekend
commemorations with memories still fresh of how it
brutally cracked down on opposition and civil society
leaders on March 11 after they had planned a prayer
meeting in Harare.