A tense calm has prevailed amid a heavy police deployment as the situation slowly returned to normal in Zimbabwe’s second largest city of Bulawayo on Thursday after a day of city-wide riots during which protestors blocked roads with burning tyres, torched vehicles, looted shops and fought running battles with anti-riot police.
The violence erupted early on Wednesday morning as thousands of Zimbabwean heeded calls for a mass stay-away to protest alleged government corruption and force long-time ruler President Robert Mugabe to step down for failing to solve the multi-faceted economic crisis which has deteriorated alarmingly over the last two months.
The stay-away came in the midst of an ongoing industrial action by unpaid hospital doctors, nurses, teachers, and worsened as public transport operators suspended services to protest against the high number of police roadblocks and widespread allegations of bribe-taking by police officers manning the checkpoints.
After a day of shutdown, business slowly returned to normal in Bulawayo and while the police mounted a few checkpoints on key roads leading into the city centre, they were not stopping any vehicles at all. Heavily armed riot squad troopers were also deployed at the checkpoints, while groups of between four and six riot police officers were deployed at street corners in the city centre.
Although some shops remained closed, all government offices, banks, chain shops and the few industries which are still operational had re-opened for business on Thursday. Meanwhile, hundreds of people were reportedly beaten up and 36 arrested yesterday in the restive suburbs of Makokoba, Mzilikazi and Nguboyenja where protesters had attacked the police and burnt one of their vehicles.
Police in the city also announced the arrest of a man who was allegedly found with explosive and detonators, believed to have been intended for use during the mass action. The government has described the protesters as “hooligans” and vowed to tacke action against them.
At least 40 others were arrested in connection with the violence and had started appearing in court by midday on Thursday. Home Affairs minster and top official of Mugabe’s ruling ZANU PF party, Ignatious Chombo, said the party was “not shaken” by the protests and reiterated that government would not give in to the key demands of the protesters.
“Zanu PF is focused on what it wants to do and cannot be shaken by the activities of these protesters. We are the the ruling party, and we will not accept anything short of law and order. The party has it on good authority that the protests experienced in Beitbridge were sponsored by the (opposition) Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
“We are also aware that persons from ‘across the bridge’ joined these violent protest because they were beneficiaries from the importation of goods. We know that the protests are sponsored by some Western embassies (in Harare) and some failed political parties and politicians,” Chombo said.
Unrest has been simmering in Zimbabwe since last week when travellers and residents torched the main warehouse of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) at the Beitbridge border post to protest against the imposition of a ban on the importation of nearly all basic foodstuff and specified goods although they are in critically short supply in the country.
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