Twelve Arrested in Gokwe For Alleged Anti-Government Protest
Police in Gokwe have arrested 12 individuals for allegedly participating in an anti-government demonstration, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has confirmed.
The group reportedly voiced their opposition to President Mnangagwa and his government, particularly regarding his recent appointment as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
According to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, the suspected members of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) are being detained at Chitekete Police Station in connection with a flash protest that took place at Gokwe Centre on August 15, 2024.
It is alleged that among those arrested are the two wives of Tawanda Siampongo from the Gokwe-Kabuyuni constituency, who were taken into custody after the police failed to find their husband.
In a viral video circulated on Thursday, the leader of a group of activists, who identified himself as Givemore Chuma, said:
SADC must not be used to sanitise President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s illegitimacy. This is what we are saying as the inhabitants of Gokwe. We are holding these demonstrations to send out a clear message.
It has been common knowledge through the years that people from Gokwe are backward, but today we have taken the first step in sending the message that we are not supporting the conferment of the SADC chairmanship to Mnangagwa.
He must leave the office. No one voted for him to power. What lessons does SADC intend to impart to citizens across the region?
It is unfair to reward election theft in such a manner. What we appreciate is the fact that Advocate Nelson Chamisa won this election and he is the one who deserves the chairmanship.
I am not the one who is saying this. I am just the spokesperson on behalf of Zimbabweans and the people of Gokwe.
If he (Chamisa) is not the one to take the helm then we have to take it to the street on the 17th of August. The Constitution’s Section 59 allows us to demonstrate.
ZANU PF has made it clear that power in Zimbabwe will not be transferred through the ballot. We need a democratic government in Zimbabwe. The ruling party has failed for the past 44 years.
In a separate incident, the ZLHR reported that opposition activist Costa Machingauta was abducted from his home by armed men on Thursday night.
His lawyers ultimately located him in holding cells where he had been held and not allowed to communicate with other people.
Machingauta has claimed that his minor children were assaulted during the abduction.
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