Villagers Blocked From Travelling To ED Grandson's Funeral, Taken To Anti-sanctions March

The government reportedly tricked villagers into travelling to Masvingo for an anti-sanctions march on Tuesday on the pretext that they were going to Bikita’s for the funeral of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s grandson, Yasha Mafidi Mnangagwa.

A disgruntled villager told NewsDay that they were informed that they will be ferried to Mafidi’s funeral and after 7 Oclock, were told that all the buses had left. She said:

We were then told that we were to go to the anti-sanctions march and be part of the programme in Masvingo.

They should have given us food but we have been told that the food available is for people from this side.

They told us there is no food for us or T-shirts.

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Another lady, who said she was on hypertension medication, said there was plenty of food available but they were just unwilling to share.

She said they could have abandoned the march if they were close to their homes but they had no option other than to wait for the buses availed by the government. She said:

We boarded the buses around 4 AM to travel to the funeral but we were later told that we should take part in the anti-sanctions march.

We have eaten nothing so far. We came to the local board and we waited there for hours.

When the buses arrived, we were instructed to board and were brought here and now we have been made to wait again. It’s unfair.

Meanwhile, the opposition CCC has criticised ZANU PF for infringing on children’s right to education by force-marching them to march against sanctions. CCC said:

Children have the right to be protected from all kinds of abuse including participating in political activities. We strongly condemn the abuse of children that we witnessed across the country on Tuesday.

Children were forced to participate in political activities, which is a gross violation of their rights.

On Tuesday, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) condemned the politicisation of education after ZANU PF and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reportedly assigned teachers to mobilise learners for anti-sanctions marches.