Freedom march to go ahead

The main wing of the opposition was set for a serious
clash with the regime, which analysts viewed as the
potential straw that would break the camel’s back and
signal an end to talks between the opposition and Zanu
(PF). Secretary general of the party, Tendai Biti
maintained on Tuesday afternoon that they would go
ahead with the march in central Harare in defiance of
an order to cancel it by police.
“The march is on,” Biti said. “We are ready to claim
our liberties and cannot accept this abuse.”
Police reneged on an earlier commitment to grant
permission for the march which the opposition party
says is for demanding free and fair elections, food
and jobs, and other socio-political commitments from
the Zanu (PF) regime. Police spokesman Oliver
Mandipaka on Tuesday afternoon told The Zimbabwean
that the decision to cancel the march was because “of
intentions that are suspicious on the part of the
MDC.”
He added that the police had already issued a “formal
warning to the MDC leadership against any plans to go
ahead with the march and cause chaos”.
Police had last week cleared the MDC march and
promised to provide escort the same way they did to
President Robert Mugabe’s march in December. A visit
to Harare Police Station on Tuesday showed members of
the riot police readying for deployment onto the
streets of Harare to seal off the city centre.