Government is sweating over possible protests during the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) summit to be held next month amid revelations that security agencies are on high alert to thwart any planned unrest, it has emerged.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who will assume the rotational chairmanship of the bloc, is using the summit to rubber stamp his victory in last year’s disputed elections, election observer missions said failed to meet the minimum standards for the holding of a free, fair and credible poll, according to critics.
The summit is scheduled for August 17 to 18.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage minister Kazembe Kazembe yesterday sent a chilling warning to anyone who is plotting unrest during the summit.
“If there is someone who is planning lawlessness during the Sadc summit be warned that the security sector will deal with you accordingly. The President said we should be peaceful and welcome our visitors cheerfully,” Kazembe said.
Speaking during the burial of Brigadier General Michael Chaminuka, Mnangagwa urged people to be welcoming and peaceful during the summit.
“I, equally, encourage all Zimbabweans to continue working hard to ensure a peaceful, safe and welcoming environment for our visiting delegates. With unity of purpose, across the various sectors, let us collectively bear the weighty responsibility which hosting this important summit entails,” he said.
Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was a maturing constitutional democracy, focused on promoting and consolidating its position in the comity of nations.
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He appealed to all stakeholders, including the private sector, to partner government, urging local authorities to enhance the “environmental ambience, cleanliness and beauty of our cities in preparation for the summit and indeed into the future”.
Government is pulling out all stops to host the summit, throwing money in sprucing up the image at a time when more than half of the population is starving due to the effects of the El Nino-induced drought.
Human Rights Watch accused Mnangagwa’s administration of allegedly weaponising the criminal justice system against the ruling party’s political opponents. Opposition politicians have been held in prolonged pre-trial detention or convicted on baseless, seemingly politically-motivated charges.
“The government of President Mnangagwa is accelerating its crackdown against legitimate and peaceful activism ahead of the August summit,” said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Sadc needs to engage with the authorities to take clear measures to ensure the enjoyment of basic freedoms by all Zimbabweans.”
On June 16, the Zimbabwe Republic Police raided a private home in a suburb of Harare, the capital, and arrested over 70 people, most of them young, in what can be considered an attack on the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association.
Those detained were charged with participating in a gathering with the intent to promote violence, breaches of peace or bigotry as well as disorderly conduct.
Their lawyers told the media that the gathering was a barbecue at the home of Jameson Timba, an opposition leader, to commemorate June 16, Day of the African Child.
On June 27, while denying them bail, a Harare magistrate ruled that the detainees were likely to commit similar offences if released.
At a Zanu PF meeting last month, Mnangagwa said he was “aware of certain rogue elements within the nation bent on peddling falsehoods and instigating acts of civil disorder, especially before, during and after regional and world stage events.”
He said security agencies were on high alert to decisively deal with the so-called rogue elements.
