MDC leader, Douglas Mwonzora, has accused ruling party supporters of disrupting a party event in Bulawayo on Saturday, claiming police watched without intervening before later ordering party members to disperse.
The disruption occurred during a gathering organised by the MDC Women’s Assembly to commemorate a belated International Women’s Day.
According to Mwonzora, about 20 suspected Zanu PF supporters attempted to force their way into the meeting, which was addressed by Women’s Assembly chairperson, Constance Chihururu and the party’s national organiser for women, Nomatter Munyayi.
“The group that attacked the MDC sometime last year is the one that came, only that they were more than the people that attacked us. They were about 20,” Mwonzora said.
“They tried to get in to disturb the meeting held by the Women’s Assembly. The MDC Women’s Assembly was holding a commemoration for International Women’s Day Saturday in Bulawayo.”
Mwonzora alleged the disruption happened in the presence of police officers who did not intervene.
“So the Zanu PF people came and attacked the meeting in the presence of the police. The police did nothing. There were more than 13 police details but they did not do anything, they just kept quiet and let things happen,” he alleged.
Police later instructed MDC members to disperse from the premises before 2pm, resulting in the cancellation of a press briefing that had been scheduled for that afternoon.
When a CITE news crew arrived at the venue, police vehicles and officers were stationed outside the building while the area was filled with onlookers curious about the developments.
Mwonzora claimed the incident was part of broader efforts to block opposition mobilisation against a proposed constitutional amendment that could pave the way for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
“We know this is an attempt by them to stop our fight against 2030 but we will not be deterred, we will not be perturbed, we will not relent. We will continue to fight against this injustice,” he said.
The MDC leader accused authorities of selectively applying the law by preventing opposition gatherings while allowing the ruling party to campaign freely.
“Zanu PF is campaigning for the 2030, they are mobilising their people to take part in the outreach process that has been announced by Parliament but other people are not being allowed, so we will not relent, we will not allow ourselves to be discriminated against,” Mwonzora said.
“But what is good is that the meeting took place and our people were spoken to and the struggle continues.”
This incident comes days after another press meetings was blocked in the city.
On Thursday, police also stopped a press conference that was scheduled to be held by the National Democratic Working Group (NDWG) in Bulawayo.
The movement accused authorities of blocking meetings by groups opposing the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026, which has been gazetted by Parliament.
The NDWG said police were preventing gatherings by voices critical of the 2030 agenda while allowing Zanu PF meetings to proceed without interference.