More than 20 people were seriously injured when police officers descended on a gathering of more than 70 opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party activists at the home of party leader Jameson Timba in Harare on Sunday afternoon.
Police said the CCC activists were holding an unsanctioned gathering in contravention of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act.
<a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200028455/police-in-violent-crackdown-against-ccc-20-seriously-injured">NewsDay</a> reported sources as saying at least three of the activists require attention from orthopaedic doctors, while more than five fractured their hands in the melee.
79 people, including Timba and his son, were arrested. The people were separately put in cells at different police stations, with 58 young activists placed at Harare Central Police Station, while more than 20 were detained at Avondale Police Station.
The activists’ lawyer Agency Gumbo claimed that more than 20 party supporters were injured. He said:
<blockquote>
We have more than 20 people that have been confirmed injured by doctors, but the injuries are not severe.
We have people like Jameson Timba, who has a bit of semi-serious injuries because he had a swollen elbow which he got after being beaten by riot police.
We had our doctors come. The doctors looked at them, but obviously because of detention, we can only then be able to have proper X-rays done on them after they are released tomorrow [Tuesday].
</blockquote>
Gumbo said when police officers pounced on Timba’s house, they ordered party activists to jump into a swimming pool. He said:
<blockquote>
The police arrived at a private residence, at Senator Timba’s residence. When the riot entered, they started asking people to jump into the swimming pool.
This was done regardless of what they had in their pockets, with some having cellphones in their pockets. Everyone was just commanded to jump into the swimming pool.
</blockquote>
Some party officials and loyalists had to bring blankets for their colleagues to reduce the impact of the cold night in cells. Said Gumbo:
<blockquote>
So that is what was happening. When they arrived at the holding cells, everyone was wet because they had been forced to jump into the pool, which is unethical.
The police arrived and threw tear gas, after that they fired guns in the air.
After that, they bundled everyone and said jump into the swimming pool. We made sure they had blankets.
Of course, that was detention but when we did interviews we made sure everyone had blankets and slept in a proper holding cell. But the people were brutalised.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi on Monday confirmed the arrest of Timba and the other opposition activists. He said:
<blockquote>
I can confirm that 70 suspects were arrested at Jameson Timba’s house in Harare for conducting an unsanctioned gathering.
During the arrests, they became violent and started throwing stones at the police officers. Reinforcements were later called in.
</blockquote>
According to Gumbo, the CCC activists were attending a private meeting to commemorate the June 16 Youth Day at Timba’s house.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Several CCC Activists Injured As Police Break Up Youth Day Event

The Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) has challenged regional countries to enable youth to participate in key economic sectors in their countries considering that over half of Africa’s population is under the age of 30.
Last Friday was the International Youth Day. This year’s theme was “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”.
In a statement, SARW said young people in Africa have been denied the opportunity to lead resulting in the recycling of ideas. It said:
<blockquote>
The African continent has a high proportion of young people with 70% of its population under the age of 30, but it also has the highest rates of social challenges affecting youth.
Because of rampant ageism, youth are denied opportunities to contribute to public discourse or to seek solutions to some of the continent’s systemic challenges.
Discrimination has also resulted in youth being excluded from decision-making processes where they are underrepresented or not being consulted on issues affecting them.
In the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region, many local communities living near mining areas continue to suffer the social and environmental consequences of both large-scale and illegal mining.
These challenges are obvious to everyone, but neither older people nor the State has solutions.
This is due to a lack of intergenerational integration in government, the private sector, and, to some extent, civil society.
Young people have been denied the opportunity to lead and have been barred from positions of power because of their age hence there is a recycling of ideas across the continent.
</blockquote>
SARW implored governments to provide services to communities and the youths, as the majority are trapped in vicious cycles of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy.
This has resulted in generations of demotivated youth who see no way out of their difficulties, added SARW.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/08/majority-of-zim-youths-unhappy/">NewsDay</a>

"Young People In Africa Excluded From Power, Economic Opportunities"

<blockquote>Today I join hands with fellow youths from all corners of the world in commemorating the International Youth Day. This is an important and special day on our calendar as it awards us with a fantastic opportunity to recognise the efforts of the young people in nation building. It is a day we take to raise awareness on issues affecting the youths in their everyday life. We also take this day to reflect on the gains made thus far with regards to youth upliftment as well as gaps that ought to be closed.
This day comes at a time when Zimbabwe is going through momentous crises, circumstances which have consistently placed the youth on the receiving end. We are slapped with poverty exacerbated by high unemployment levels. Corruption is also mutilating all prospects of development, this has culminated in few individuals fattening their pockets at the expense of national progress. Education and health care have become inaccessible yet the quality continues to deteriorate by each passing day. These are some of the several challenges directly confronting the Zimbabwean youths.
This agglomeration of issues clearly indicate that the youths in Zimbabwe are subjected to suffering and in the same vein it is a call for unity in order to change the fate. Youths constitute the greater part of the population yet they remain relegated to the peripherals of decision making and development. This in itself is an anomaly which has been systematically perpetuated by the old guard occupying the corridors of power in the present day. Given this reality, every young person must feel challenged to stand up, shape and secure a positively different tomorrow.
It is not by mere coincidence that this day falls on the same day with the heroes’ day commemoration. It is in fact a strategic reminder and signal that as today’s youth, we have a generational mandate to save our country from destruction due to continued misgovernance. As we also on this day, reflect on the spirited fight that was pursued by our elders during the liberation struggle, we must learn from their sacrifice and be encouraged to do more for our beloved country. The heroes we are celebrate today, took it upon themselves when they were youths to challenge their tormentors and liberated themselves. Regrettably, 39 years later, the then liberators have become suppressors and our supposed to be mentors.
This is the sad story of the youths in Zimbabwe but it is also within our capacity to transform this sad story to a joyous one. We have a duty to protect our country from further demise for this is the only place we call home hence we can’t fold our hands when both our present and future are being robbed. Let’s embrace unity and exercise our constitutional rights at any given moment to fight for what is right. More importantly let’s embrace peace and shun all forms of violence.
Happy International Youth Day! 
Happy Heroes’ day!
Tererai Obey Sithole 
MDC Youth Assembly Chairperson</blockquote>

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