CHITUNGWIZA - Heavily armed army and police details continue to be deployed around major cities and towns to intimidate residents and prevent them from staging protests against bad governance.We were deployed to patrol and keep an eye on would be trouble makers around the business centre and surrounding residential suburbs. The deployment was necessitated by clear indications that mass protests staged against tyranny in North Africa and the Arab States might visit Zimbabwe, revealed a junior soldier at Makoni Shopping Centre over the weekend.
The soldier added that while some army and police details would be in uniform, dozens are in plain clothes.
The armed soldiers and police were deployed following the recent arrest of International Socialist Organisation Local Co-ordinator, Munyaradzi Gwisai and 45 other activists at a lecture in Harare. The accused were watching films on mass uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
Meanwhile, the Police have banned all public gatherings until further notice.
The ban would affect MDC-T as a party as we were in the process of our crucial party restructuring exercise. Since the police ban was indefinite, the whole restructuring exercise could be thrown into limbo. However, I understand MDC-T would take the issue to courts of law, said MDC-T Mashonaland East Publicity and Information Secretary, Silas Gweshe.
The ban seemed to be exclusively affecting MDC as Zanu (PF) have allegedly continued conducting public gatherings.
Post published in: News