Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. CHAOS erupted in Harare yesterday afternoon when riot police and State security agents stormed the venue of a Press conference at Sapes Trust in Belgravia, resulting in opposition politicians scurrying for safety.
Convened by opposition politicians Tendai Biti, Job Sikhala, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Jameson Timba and Jacob Ngarivhume, among others, the Press conference had originally been scheduled to take place at the Sapes Trust premises, before it was bombed in the early hours of yesterday.
The politicians later rescheduled the Press briefing at another venue in Mt Pleasant, which was also interrupted by the police.
It turned into a cat-and-mouse chase as riot police trailed the opposition leaders from one location to the other to block them from addressing the media.
A similar media briefing in Bulawayo was also disrupted, with opposition politicians blocked from addressing journalists in what appeared to be a co-ordinated clampdown on dissent against Zanu PF’s proposal to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office.
The Press conference was called to outline citizens’ responses to an alleged plot by Zanu PF to extend Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030.
The politicians then opted to address the media outside the Sapes Trust premises after the failed attempt in Mt Pleasant.
A few moments after the Press conference had begun, police besieged the venue, rounding up the participants, including journalists.
Biti, Sikhala, Ngarivhume and Gwisai escaped in their vehicles amid attempts by a riot police them.
Addressing the media just before the interruption, Biti said opposition players had united to challenge Zanu PF’s plot to extend Mnangagwa’s term of office.
“This is a new process, a united process of concerned citizens against the mutilation of our Constitution against the vandalisation of our Constitution,” he said.
“It’s a non-partisan, non-political effort to defend the Constitution. So we are uniting everyone to move forward to defend the Constitution, constitutionalism, the values of the liberation struggle and the values of our own democratic struggle with people like the great Morgan Tsvangirai and the great Gibson Sibanda.”
Said Sikhala: “The police officers are now approaching here, demonstrating that the dictatorship is in panic. So Zimbabweans, don’t panic.
“Very soon, we are going to announce the next course of action after this. We have heard that they have done the same in Bulawayo, but don’t panic.”
Ngarivhume said opposing politicians had buried the hatchet and “found each other” against Zanu PF.
He said: “The reason why the regime is panicking is now as democratic forces we have found each other.
“We are coalescing and brought together by a common cause to oppose the mutilation of our Constitution.”
In a statement, Timba rallied opposition politicians for unity to block Zanu PF from extending Manangawa’s term of office.
“We must remember strong nations are not built by those who agree on everything, but by those who choose to work together despite their disagreements,” he said.
“The measure of our patriotism is not uniformity, but unity of purpose — the shared resolve to defend what binds us: the Constitution.
“This is a people’s initiative that belongs to no party and serves no individual interest — only the republic. Its purpose is to protect the foundations of our democracy and our future as one nation under law.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure said: “President Mnangagwa has an opportunity to make history by using the remainder of his term to invite a team of non-partisan eminent Zimbabweans to assist in strengthening our State institutions.”
Masaraure said the process should begin with a national dialogue on the nature of reforms needed, then produce a timeline of instituting the reforms.
“The (Kgalema) Mothlante Commission report and recommendations of different election observer missions should also assist the reform agenda,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) expressed concern over the arson attack at Sapes Trust saying it represented a dangerous escalation of politically-motivated violence designed to intimidate and suppress legitimate public discourse.
“This latest attack is a direct manifestation of the environment of fear and repression that many Zimbabweans face daily,” the organisation said.
“The bombing of Sapes Trust is not an isolated incident; it is part of a larger pattern of attacks against civic spaces, human rights defenders and activists exercising their rights and freedoms.”
The attack followed another reported act of violence in Highfield, where the home of Gilbert Bgwende, an activist, was also set on fire in the early hours of the same morning.
“These attacks, which occurred just hours apart, suggest a co-ordinated effort to intimidate those speaking out about constitutional matters and to undermine the very foundation of democratic engagement in Zimbabwe,” ZimRights said.
“We call for a renewed commitment from political leaders to reject violence in all forms and to publicly pledge to uphold peace, tolerance, and the protection of human rights in Zimbabwe.
“The violence must stop and the rhetoric of hate and division must be replaced with calls for unity and peaceful dialogue.”
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