News Africa Extended

News Africa Extended

Journalist beaten during Zimbabwe protest

Posted: 03 Aug 2016 07:17 PM PDT

Baton-wielding police intervened when protesters tried to approach Zimbabwe’s Parliament during a march.

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Harare - Anti-riot police used batons to break up a peaceful march in Zimbabwe's capital on Wednesday, the latest public protest against how President Robert Mugabe's government has handled the economy.

Mugabe, 92, and in power since independence from Britain in 1980, is increasingly under pressure from angry Zimbabweans, as well as his war veterans allies, who last month rebuked him as a manipulative dictator, calling on him to step down.

At a meeting of its politburo in Harare, Mugabe's Zanu-PF party expelled nine senior officials, including four war veteran leaders linked to the July 21 statement that denounced Mugabe, the party's administration secretary said, as a purge against Mugabe's former allies intensified.

Zimbabwe has witnessed several anti-government protests in recent months, including the biggest stay-at-home demonstration by activist pastor Evan Mawarire's #ThisFlag movement in July.

Hundreds of people marched on the streets of Harare on Wednesday against government plans to introduce local bank notes, as authorities grapple with a serious dollar crunch.

Police kept watch and the marchers presented a petition at ministry of finance offices in central Harare. But baton-wielding police charged at the protesters as they approached the Parliament building, beating them until they dispersed.

The police beat three reporters, including a BBC journalist, and broke his camera. Some protesters threw rocks at the police, who also had water cannons, but did not use them.

“We don't want bond notes because they will wipe out the few US dollars left. They have come to destroy the country. We do not want them,” said protester Wesley Chawada, who was waving the old Zimbabwean dollar currency, which was dumped in 2009.

Former vice-president Joice Mujuru on Tuesday challenged the planned issuance of the bond notes at the Constitutional Court.

Demonstrators denounced Mugabe, accusing Zanu-PF of failing to create up to 2.2 million jobs that it had promised during its campaign for the 2013 presidential vote, which Mugabe won amid opposition charges of rigging.

“Mugabe just quit, I will forgive you”, read one placard, while another said “No to police state, you have failed Mr Mugabe”.

Mugabe plans to contest the next election in 2018, his last under a new constitution. That has deepened divisions in Zanu-PF, with war veterans opposing his bid and supporting Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to take over from Mugabe.

Three war veteran leaders were charged with undermining and insulting the office of the president by a Harare magistrate’s court, as Mugabe continues a crackdown on his former allies. The three veterans were freed on $300 bail.

REUTERS

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'85 hurt in anti-government protests in Zimbabwe'

Posted: 03 Aug 2016 09:48 AM PDT

More than 85 anti-government protesters were seriously injured in Harare, Zimbabwe opposition spokespeople say.

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Harare - More than 85 anti-government protesters calling for President Robert Mugabe to step down were seriously injured in Zimbabwe's capital on Wednesday.

The roughly 2,000 demonstrators clashed with heavily armed police while marching towards parliament to present a petition about their grievances, including the government's planned introduction of "bond notes" to alleviate the country's severe cash shortage.

"We have more than 85 people who were severely injured, and we are still trying to collate the figures of [others] injured," protest leader Jacob Ngarivhume, a member of opposition party Transform Zimbabwe, said.

Police fired teargas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, many of whom were carrying "Mugabe must go" placards, even though authorities had approved the march.

"Mugabe and his government need to step aside and allow citizens to rebuild their country," said Promise Mkwananzi, spokeswoman of the Tajamuka campaign that has been leading anti-government protests in recent weeks.

Several journalists were among those assaulted by the police with batons, and some had their equipment destroyed, Ngarivhume said.

"We condemn the police for brutally attacking members of the press," said Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Foster Dongozi.

Police spokesperson Charity Charamba meanwhile said "officers only acted in self-defence after the demonstrators started throwing stones."

DPA

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Pastor spreads word of Zimbabwe's plight

Posted: 03 Aug 2016 04:09 AM PDT

South Africa must do more to help Zimbabwe improve the lives of its people, according to Pastor Evan Mawarire.

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Cape Town - South Africa must do more to help Zimbabwe improve the lives of its people, according to Pastor Evan Mawarire, the Zimbabwean activist behind the #ThisFlag campaign.

"It's true, we are brothers, and the governments need to talk to each other because if one nation goes to ruin, it's harmful for the whole region," Mawarire said.

"The ordinary citizens of Zimbabwe haven't had help for years. How it has worked in the past and the struggles we have faced as African nations, we have always helped each other. Zimbabwe's government was helped by South African revolutionaries in our struggle for independence, just like our government helped them out too. That is what we are like in Africa."

Mawarire said the democracies of South Africa and Zimbabwe were maturing and the "revolutionary fathers don't see that".

"What we would like is for those revolutionary fathers in a South African context to say to the fathers in a Zimbabwean context we see the situation on your hands as a result of the decisions you have made and seeing how your people suffer, and that is not what you fought for as revolutionaries'.

"This is how we must work together as African brothers because our children are struggling. We see there are Zimbabweans in South Africa now and we know that they are suffering. Is there any way we can assist? Can we intervene? These are the questions we would like the South African government to ask the Zimbabwean government."

But, Mawarire said it would be a tall order, even as he tours the country drumming up support for his cause to help the people of Zimbabwe. He is hoping to take the stories of Zimbabwean people to South African audiences so they can understand the plight of the people. In this way, South Africans, he hopes, will lobby the government to step in and assist Zimbabweans.

He said it appeared there would be no help from the governing ANC.

"Unfortunately, we have been branded by the secretary-general of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe, as being funded by the West. That's unfair. When Gwede sees me he should see his brother's son. And that's what makes me sad. He should see me and say, young man, you have come running to me. What's the matter between you and your dad? Can I talk to your dad and try and help you? Tell me your story so that I can go and talk to your dad and see how I can help and intervene'. That is how African families work. We are brothers. Your dad is my dad. And if there is a problem with my dad at home, I must be able to go to my brother's dad and ask for help. But if he closes the door on me, on us, what message does that send me about him and my dad?"

Mawarire said Zimbabwe faces a triple threat of corruption, injustice and poverty.

After his #ThisFlag campaign gained traction, the government cracked down and arrested him last month on trumped up treason charges.

"All we did was ask our government to listen to us. We don't want a regime change. We just want our government to listen."

Mawarire took to social media to air his disillusionment with his country's government.

"The #ThisFlag campaign happened quite by accident while I was sitting in my office. I was trying to scrape together money to pay for school fees. I'd tried borrowing, I tried doing extra work, and I just couldn't find a way. I was upset. I was disillusioned. And that's when I posted some videos and the thing just went viral. It turns out other Zimbabweans are fed up too."

This didn't go down too well with Zimbabwe's government, who Mawarire said wanted to portray an image of the country as one filled with happy citizens.

"If I say to you I am not afraid of going home, I would be lying. The president of the country of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, in the last two weeks, in his last two public speeches, has attacked me. The first comment that was made was that I caused violence, that people like me have no place in Zimbabwe and I must go where my funders are, wherever my funders are. That concerns me. When my president says that about me, an upstanding citizen.

"All I did was to say to my government: 'There's something wrong. Guys, please help us, there's something wrong'. And I've been asked not to come back home.

"In the second speech, he literally said we must not meddle in the politics of the country, and we will rot in jail, and that I will be dealt with. The very next day, over 3 000 young people marched in support of the president's comments and they all said 'down with Mawarire'. That is scary. Everybody knows my address, they know where I stay, because the charge sheet against me was snapped up by social media. I cannot go home unless there's a guarantee of my safety. I have a family I need to take care of and think of.

"As much as I say I am not afraid of the government of this country, I still feel I have a job to do and I want to be able to do so safely."

Cape Argus

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