Despite the police on Friday last week allowing the Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers Union (ZIBAWU) to proceed with the peaceful demonstration, Garikai Gwangwava, the officer commanding Harare Central District, wrote to ZIBAWU on Tuesday morning advising them that the demonstration had been cancelled.
Security information reveals that certain political parties would want to take advantage of your lawful gathering at Stanbic Bank to engage into political violence. Your location is also strategic and any such violence would have grave consequences to the security of the State, said Gwangwava, in his letter to ZIBAWU President Peter Mutasa.
My office therefore regrets to advise you to shelf your demonstration for now until further notice, he added. But banking industry sources said employees were seething with anger as the police were seen to be conspiring with management not to allow employees to protest against low salaries at Stanbic Bank, which is owned by South Africas Johannesburg listed Standard Bank.
The banks workers union was allegedly planning to challenge the police cancellation of the peaceful demonstration at the High Court. An urgent High application challenging the new and unfortunate development is one of the actions that can be taken, said Mutasa, the ZIBAWU president.
Since the eruption of violent protests in the Arab world, Zimbabwe security forces are understood to have banned public protests and gathering serve those organised by ZANU-PF.
Post published in: News