By Costa Nkomo
In a chilling display of intimidation, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe has issued another thinly veiled threat to anyone daring to dissent during the upcoming SADC Summit.
Kazembe declared that law enforcement would be on high alert, ready to crack down with heavy-handed force on anyone deemed to be “disturbing the peace” in front of visiting dignitaries.
Kazembe said that those who plan to protest against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s disputed election in 2023 should have sought legal remedies and should stop thinking of overthrowing the elected government, he warned, echoing the government’s dismissive stance on the widely condemned election results.
It’s worth noting that the SADC bloc itself, along with numerous international and local election observers, deemed Mnangagwa’s election victory last year to be flawed.
Addressing journalists in Harare, Kazembe said the government would “decisively deal with those wanting to foment unrest” in the lead-up to the Summit.
“Let me categorically disabuse those nursing a misguided perception that the presence of the international community in the country during the Summit presents them an opportunity to inflict reputational damage on the country without consequence,” he said, his voice dripping with menace.
Kazembe conveniently labelled the opposition as acting “disorderly” at every regional or international gathering, claiming their sole purpose is to tarnish the country’s image.
“The timing of the push for demonstrations is not surprising,” he said.
The run up to the 44th SADC Summit, scheduled for August 17 in Harare, has already been marred by a wave of human rights abuses, including the arrest of opposition activists.
On Wednesday, four human rights defenders – Vusumuzi Moyo, Namatai Kwekweza, Samuel Gwenzi, and Robson Chere – were forcibly removed from a plane at Robert Mugabe International Airport, held incommunicado, severely tortured, and subsequently charged with disorderly conduct.
In Kariba, police arrested 14 opposition activists, including former MP John Houghton, accusing them of “participating in a gathering with intent to cause public violence.”
Bulawayo Ward 22 councillor Bruce Moyo and Bulawayo Senator Gideon Shoko were arrested on Thursday with their charges still unknown.
