OPPOSITION Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activists across the country have written to the police notifying them of intentions to stage protests on August 17.
Harare is hosting the Sadc summit on the same date and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government says it is ready to crush any protests during the regional event.
The activists under the banner, ‘Zimbabwe let's unite and fix our country’, say they want to protest against the continued deterioration of human rights.
Dozens of human rights and political activists have been arrested on allegations of plotting to stage protests during the Sadc summit.
In the letters seen by The Standard, the conveners of the August 17 protests said the demonstrations would be peaceful.
According to a letter dated August 8, 2024 addressed to the police officer commanding Harare district, the CCC conveners said they expected 10 000 protestors.
In various district , the convenors said they expected up to 1 000 protestors.
“The purpose of the public demonstration is to peacefully protest against the increased human rights abuses in the country characterised by continued arrests and detention of pro-democracy activists,” CCC convener Vincent Taruvinga said in the letter.
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“It is to protest against the denial of citizens’ rights to assemble as enshrined in the Zimbabwe constitution, demonstrators will assemble at Robert Mugabe Square opposite Rainbow Hotel at 1000hrs.”
CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said police had received some of the correspondence.
“Because of the nature of the regime we are dealing with, we will take every step that the law requires,” MKwananzi said.
“We have notified the police. There is no section that says we must seek permission. We have just notified them.
“The police are aware and they know that the protestors are secure so we expect cooperation from the police in terms of the constitution.
“We are targeting to stage protests in all provinces across the country. But in most incidents, police have recorded or acknowledged that they have received our notifications.”
In Chikomba district, according to a letter dated August 8 addressed to Chivhu police officer commanding, the convener Emmanuel Punungwe said the protests would last for three hours.
Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was not aware of the notifications as they were done at district levels.
