BULAWAYO - Zimbabwean police Commissioner, Augustie Chihuri, has banned public protests and demonstrations for the duration of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, to be played in South Africa between Ju
Sources within the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the country’s second biggest city of Bulawayo told The Zimbabwean that Chihuri had already informed regulating officers in the country that they should not allow public protests in their areas with effect from June 1 until further notice.”
Recently police banned journalists from Masvingo and Bulawayo to hold a peaceful march to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, citing the same reason. “The Commissioner says that there will be several foreign visitors and journalists in the country during the World Cup, who will be coming here to see if the GNU (Government of National Unity) has made any meaningful changes here,” said a senior police officer.
“As such, he does not want people to hold any demonstrations because they might get out of hand just to provoke a stern police reaction, which might be misinterpreted by the foreign visitors and attract more sanctions for the country.” The order, which is said to have been verbally given to all provincial and district police commanders in the country, is set to be formalised through an internal police signal to be dispatched by Chihuri late this month, according to the officers.
“The order is already in place because we have been told not to allow any protests in our areas or face disciplinary measures from the commanders,” said another police officer, a Chief Superintendent, who is also a regulating officer. A regulating officer is, according to the repressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a police officer in charge of a district, who should be notified by an organiser of a protest.
Zimbabwean police is viewed as among the worst human rights abusers in the world. It uses the POSA to crush public protests, even peaceful ones, by savagely beating protestors. Police national spokesman, Senior Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, refused to comment on the matter when contacted by The Zimbabwean early this week, but several senior and junior officers in Bulawayo confirmed the ban. “I cannot comment about that, I am sorry,” said Bvudzijena.
Post published in: Politics