Zimbabwe Bracing For Protests?

Mugabe and his loyalists will use anything as an excuse to increase the number of armed security force members in the country, in the cities and town, as he attempts to stifle any dissension from the population...

zimbabwe violence QDN8H 16744

"The treason case of 45 human rights activists failed to take off on Monday after the Chief Justice of Zimbabwe summoned the magistrate hearing the matter amid reports that armed soldiers had been deployed in Harare's streets to thwart any Egyptian style demonstrations.

The 45 activists were arrested at a meeting in the capital Harare and were accused of plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government using the ‘Egyptian’ mass uprising style which saw former Egypt president, Hosni Mubarak resigning.

"The presiding magistrate is meeting with the Chief Justice. You are remanded in custody to tomorrow (Tuesday)," Harare magistrate, Memory Chigwaza told the court.

Reasons were not given why the magistrate, Munamato Mutevedzi went to have a meeting with Justice Chidyausiku. Chigwaza could not listen to appeals by the defence lawyer, Alec Muchadehama to have his client’s access private doctors after they testified last week that they were tortured by law enforcement agents in custody.

Muchadehama last week told the court that his clients have no case to answer as videos they are accused to have seen that showed uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia were also seen by millions of Zimbabweans on television."

And whilst the 'threat' of popular uprisings are in the forefront of people's minds, or so Mugabe believes, he remains cautious and confrontational. With the almost 4 dozen prisoners being ferried to court and back to remand, he has seen fit to increase the armed presence in the city.

Add to that the million man march intended to take place throughout the country today (in fact it was due to start before this posting is published), and Mugabe has got it covered, the threat of using force to break up any gathering now paramount in the minds of the ZANU PF apologists and the armed forces under their command.

"Mugabe’s ally Muammar Gaddaffi of Libya is facing off with massive protests that are threatening his 42 year iron fist rule after ordinary people followed uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Gaddaffi and his regime were slammed with sanctions by the United Nations, after thousands of people protest against Gaddaffi’s rule was killed by the army and security forces for marching in the streets.

Meanwhile armed soldiers were on Monday deployed in Harare's streets. observers suspected the soldiers had been deployed to deal with anyone wanting to start an Egypt-style uprising.

Hordes of heavily armed soldiers, and anti-riot police disembarking from military tankers were seen in the city centre near the Harare gardens.

"I know for sure that these soldiers are up to no good. They can do anything at any time," an eye witness told Radio VOP. "We don't feel safe," said a fruit vendor."

For a country that Mugabe incorrectly labels a 'democracy', the freedom of the people to gather, express any opinion and to lobby government for anything,

"ZANU PF secretary for legal affairs and the country’s Defence Minister Emerson Mnangagwa last week warned that the army would not allow anti-government protests inspired by the mass revolutions that have occurred in Tunisia and Egypt during the past month.

"Those who may want to emulate what happened in Egypt and Tunisia will regret. Everybody is warned to keep peace in the country," Mnangagwa told army officers in comments broadcasted by the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation last week."

If ZANU PF want peace in the country, why don't they start with their own, those who perpetrate violence upon the members of a political party which they don't agree with? People in a democracy are supposed to have the freedom to chose a political party to support - but Mugabe prefers to have the choice beaten into people rather than allow the people the freedom which he claims that they have.

Welcome to Mugabe's dictatorship...

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man