Police in the Zimbabwe capital of Harare arrested 30 people on Monday after commuter transport operators in some of the city’s areas were involved in violent clashes with police as they protested against police roadblocks.
Police spokesperson, Senior Assistant Inspector Charity Charamba, confirmed the disturbances at a press conference held at the police general headquarters in Harare and said they had heavily deployed police to the volatile areas.
“Be warned not to engage in violent activities. So far we have arrested some unruly elements this morning in Ruwa and Mabvuku who were blocking roads,” she said.
The protesters used stones and burning tyres to blockade roads that led into the city centre and said they would not allow any vehicles to ferry people into town until the police stopped mounting roadblocks every day.
The protesters also demanded that corrupt police officers who fleeced them of their money at the roadblocks be arrested.
Protests were reported in Ruwa, Zimre Park, Hatfield, Epworth and Mabvuku where drivers and conductors blocked roads with stones and attacked any vehicles found ferrying people into town.
Some protesters burnt tyres in the middle of the road, making it impossible for vehicles travelling into town to pass.`
In Epworth, police fought running battles with protesters, and two policemen were severely assaulted by an angry mob. Police had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Charamba alleged that the protests were being led by criminals and political activists who wanted to cause social unrest.
She said the police would not allow lawlessness and public disorder to go unpunished and warned that those inciting and engaging in acts of violence would be severely punished.
“As police, we have information and intelligence on the identities of some criminal elements who are behind the social unrest. We have put our monitoring teams in place and all perpetrators of violence will be arrested,” she said.
Charamba added that the security roadblocks on the country’s roads were there to monitor the situation.
The Secretary General of the Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators, Ngoni Katsvairo, said although his organisation had had their issues with the police, they were not in any way involved in the protests Monday.
Meanwhile, transporters in the country’s second largest city, Bulawayo, held an emergency meeting on Monday and resolved that effective from 3pm on the same day, they would park their vehicles in protest against alleged police brutality on the roads.
The transporters, the Bulawayo Passengers Transport Association, Bulawayo City Transit and the Tshova Mubaiwa Transport Cooperative, agreed that as long as police roadblocks remained, they would not provide their services.
The transporters’ statement read: “…no public transport operator will work until all corrupt traffic police officers, who are known to us, are apprehended and brought to justice within the constitutionally prescribed 48 hours”.
South Africa Today Africa – Southern Africa Zimbabwe News
