State Ready To Quash Planned Opposition Protests Ahead Of SADC Summit - Kazembe
The government has warned that any attempts to incite violent protests or render the country ungovernable before or during the upcoming SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government will be met with a robust response from law enforcement.
Addressing a press conference in Harare on August 1st, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe stated that the opposition has a history of organizing demonstrations around regional and international events to gain global attention.
Kazembe urged the public to disregard calls for protests, adding that those who engage in unlawful behaviour will be dealt with firmly. Said Kazembe:
It has historical footprints. We have always witnessed the penchant to mobilise for demonstrations around regional and international events.
This SADC Summit was, therefore, not going to be an exception. It is clear that the organisers seek to provoke a heavy-handed response from the Government which they assume will attract global attention and put Zimbabwe on the spotlight. We have been through such episodes before and are prepared for the same.
The attempts at rendering the country ungovernable will be met with befitting responses. Let those seeking to create an atmosphere of despondency among peace-loving citizens be warned that such antics will not be tolerated.
Spoilers and anti-development-minded forces shall be dealt with decisively. We call upon the nation to ignore the numerous misleading social media messages from opposition quarters.
We will go after those pushing for lawlessness, and allow the law to take its course. This country has adequate laws to deal with those bent on lawlessness.
As reported by News24, former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator, Prince Dubeko Sibanda, has been openly calling on Zimbabweans to protest during the SADC gathering.
He is lobbying for the SADC to discuss the disputed elections of August 2023, which the regional bloc called flawed.
But Kazembe said the Government has a constitutional mandate to govern as Zimbabweans democratically spoke in the August 2023 harmonised elections. He said:
We will not be apologetic for exercising that mandate given the will of the people through universally acknowledged processes.
It is indeed disappointing to note the misplaced priorities of sections of the opposition who are agitated to stir civil unrest at a time focus should be on hosting the Summit…
It must be recognised that those pushing for the protest did not exploit internal legal remedies to their purported electoral grievances.
They instead think that political power can be obtained undemocratically and unconstitutionally.
Section 86 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that the fundamental rights and freedoms set out in this chapter must be exercised reasonably and with due regard for the rights and freedom of other persons.
Freedom of expression does not and cannot mean the right to remove a democratically elected Government from office and to replace it with people or a party elected by nobody. Historically, the opposition has never held any peaceful demonstrations.
Kazembe said the Security Cluster is aware of secret meetings that were being held within and outside the country’s borders by individuals planning to cause civil unrest in the country. He said:
The Security Cluster is aware of secret meetings being held locally and outside the country by those seeking to unleash civil disobedience.
We already know the personalities and the institutions that they front. We are also aware of those giving them logistical and financial support.
We have also established their modus operandi which includes hiring taxis to ferry demonstrators…
We will go after those pushing for lawlessness, and allow the law to take its course. This country has adequate laws to deal with those bent on lawlessness.
Adequate measures have been put in place to account for and rein in anybody seeking to disturb the peace for whatever reason, including the misguided view that only they and their leader should lead the Government. They are an unashamed power-hungry group.
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