Police fired live bullets and teargas to disperse small-scale anti-government protests, and arrested the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, as Zimbabwe’s week-long national strike and demonstrations got under way yesterday.
Confronted with the determination of Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to take its supporters to the streets in public protests, President Robert Mugabe’s government responded with a huge show of force by the police and army.
Armoured vehicles fitted with guns and water cannon patrolled the capital and police circled the city with fortified roadblocks, according to residents of Harare. Military helicopters hovered overhead, on the lookout for any large protest gathering.
In a pre-emptive strike to prevent Tsvangirai from leading a public protest, police arrested him early yesterday and charged him with attempting to overthrow the government, according to his lawyer, Innocent Chagonda. Tsvangirai was taken to court under guard to attend his long-running treason trial. He was later released.
At least six MDC members of parliament were also arrested, including Job Sikhala, who earlier this year was tortured in police custody according to medical evidence and testimony admitted in court. Police also arrested the MDC mayors of Harare and Bulawayo, according to lawyers. All were still in custody yesterday afternoon.
”Deploying the armed forces on the streets of Zimbabwe in an attempt to prevent the people from exercising their basic democratic right to engage in peaceful protest is a clear demonstration that the regime has lost the support of the people,” said MDC representative Paul Themba Nyathi. ”No amount of violence can crush people’s desire for peaceful democratic change.”
The public reacted angrily to Tsvangirai’s arrest. ”People are really mad about that,” said Wilson Mushonga, who gave a false name to avoid retribution. ”But the government is afraid to put him in jail. They know if they put him in cells, people will erupt.”
The five-day national strike started by completely shutting down all commercial and industrial activity in Harare, Bulawayo and other major cities. Workers and business owners are furious with the Mugabe government for the hyperinflation, currently 269% and shortages of food, fuel and even banknotes.
The government’s show of force and tough warnings by cabinet ministers did not stop several thousand people amassing for protests.
An estimated 5 000 people marched from the western Highfields township towards the city centre, but they were dispersed by police firing shots in the air and teargas. Several of the protesters were arrested and at least three people were injured by gunfire, according to medical workers.
About 6 000 students at the University of Zimbabwe began to march towards central Harare but they were blocked by police firing teargas, driving them back on to their campus said witnesses. About 200 protesters gathered in the downtown office districts and were chased by police who fired teargas.
A Reuters photographer witnessed police in Harare forcing about 50 people, some of them women, to lie on the street while they beat them with batons and homemade whips.
Other skirmishes with government forces broke out in the eastern township of Mabvuku and Tafara. ”The army is going around beating up people. Any group of more than three people will be attacked because the soldiers say they could be planning a demonstration,” said Idah Mandaza. ”They are really afraid of these protests.”
Government ministers and top officials of the ruling Zanu-PF party warned of harsh action against any demonstrators.
The fact that any protesters came out at all was hailed by civic leaders as a sign that the Mugabe regime’s facade of invincibility was cracking.
”No matter what force the government uses to put down these demonstrations, the protesters will have succeeded in denting the armour of the Mugabe regime,” said human rights lawyer Brian Kagoro. ”Mugabe will emerge weaker politically.”
Early yesterday, the government showered central Harare with leaflets urging Zimbabweans to ignore the strike call. One of the leaflets read: ”No to mass action, no to violence, no to British puppets, no Rhodesian sellouts, no to the MDC, enough is enough.”
Many Harare residents reacted to the pamphlets with scorn. ”They are wasting their time on propaganda like this,” said Wilson Mushonga. ”The money spent to do that would be better spent providing food for hungry people.”
The state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, which reflects the views of Zanu-PF, called the protests a a flop, saying army and police patrols had maintained peace around the country.
The British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, expressed concern over events in Zimbabwe.
”I am extremely worried by early reports that in some areas the Zimbabwean police and military have been forcibly dispersing peaceful demonstrators,” said Straw in a statement that urged the Mugabe government to respect citizens’ rights. – Guardian Unlimited Â