Last week, the High Court chose to overturn a two-week ban issued by Police officer commanding Harare central district Chief Superintendent Newbert Saunyama on demonstrations in the capital Harare.
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The opposition parties had planned to protest for electoral reforms earlier this month, but police announced a two-week ban on demonstrations that was later overturned.
“We will demonstrate without further delay on September 17”, said Douglas Mwonzora, spokesman for the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). 92-year-old Robert Mugabe, the oldest head of state in the world, intends to contest the elections.
Police on August 26 fired tear gas and water cannon at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators at an anti-government protest, before unrest swept across large parts of the capital Harare. “They said it – that they don’t care what the global community and unfortunately the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has largely turned a blind eye on the regime to respect its own Constitution”. “We are going back to the courts to challenge this illegal ban”.
The matter had initially been booked as an urgent chamber hearing, before High Court judge Justice Priscilla Chigumba yesterday moved it to open court after presiding over a case management meeting involving both the applicants and the State. “We just don’t know – we remain uncertain about what action the judiciary will take”.
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Tendai Biti, a former finance minister and prominent lawyer who challenged the initial ban, said the law the police were using was unconstitutional.
