Zimbabwean police late on Wednesday released an opposition lawmaker and at least 16 of his constituents who were arrested earlier in the day for walking to work to protest chronic fuel shortages, their lawyer said.
Gilbert Shoko, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) MP for Budiriro suburb in Harare, and opposition supporters were arrested as they walked to the city centre, their lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, said in the morning.
”They have since been released,” Muchadehama said later. ”The police said they were going to continue their investigation. If they do not find any evidence against them, it means they will not take them to court. It will be the end of the matter.”
MDC spokesperson Maxwell Zimuto said: ”The MP was walking to work together with other people from his constituency when the police confronted them and asked them why they were walking as a group.
”They told the police they had no other means of transport because of the fuel crisis, but the police said there was plenty of fuel and rounded them up, saying they were demonstrating against the government.”
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai started walking to work two weeks ago in protest against the fuel shortages that have reached critical levels in recent months.
Tsvangirai, who walked 8km from his home in Strathaven suburb, said he had run out of fuel for his cars and vowed to continue his walk to work ”for as long as he does not have fuel”, his spokesperson said.
Several lawmakers and party activists joined in the protest walk.
Zimbabwe has faced serious fuel shortages since 1999, but the current crunch, which has seen meandering queues at gas stations, is the worst to date.
Some gas stations have been without fuel for weeks, forcing buses and private cars off the road and leaving many with no option but to walk or cycle to their workplaces.
Attendants at stations in Harare said they have gone for more than a month without receiving supplies, while the once-burgeoning black market and fuel stations selling the scarce commodity in foreign currency have almost dried up. — Sapa-AFP