BULAWAYO police have denied Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) clearance to stage demonstrations or hold meetings that were pencilled in for the month of March 2011.
Police said there were given a directive not to clear any meetings or demonstrations but did not reveal from what level the order came. BPRA is organising a large scale demonstration against poor service delivery by the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), registrars office and retailers in the city that is set for 31 March 2011.
BPRA sees the polices move as an affront to freedom of expression and the right of Zimbabweans to assembly. The association has vowed to defy the police rule and carry out all its activities as planned while seeking advice from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on possible legal action. Police patrols in the city have increased significantly in recent weeks, lending credence to speculations that the armed forces have been deployed to quell any unrest that may arise in the country following widespread demonstrations in North Africa.