by Tawanda Musariri and Tendai Guta
Scores of opposition MDC youths brought Harare CBD to a standstill through ugly scenes of violence, looting, arson and theft.
The reason for their picketing was demanding results for the presidential vote done alongside parliamentary and council elections on Monday. The electoral body, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has a constitution-backed five day window to announce the results.
ZEC had announced results for 207 of the 210 constituencies where Zanu PF has clinched a majority. To everyone’s surprise, the MDC Alliance supporters had already run out of patience 48 hours after the election and after ZEC had already delivered 99% of the parliamentary election.
The picketers charged at the ZEC offices, led by vagrants and street kids who were baying for blood. ZEC offices were pelted with stones as the marchers charged towards the Zanu PF headquarters with openly bad intentions before they were stopped at Rotten Row. The mob destroyed traffic lights on their route, tearing down Zanu PF campaign insignia, burning and destroying civilians’ cars.
At the Zanu PF district offices along Simon Muzenda Street, up to three cars, including a brand new Zanu PF truck were torched by the marauding youths.
ZEC will be announcing the results for presidential elections today after verification of the V11 forms from the 11000 polling stations. In a press briefing earlier today, the elections management body told journalists gathered at the Elections Command Centre in Harare that, “ZEC condemns in strongest terms the violence that led to loss of three lives yesterday. Such actions are regrettable and were avoidable. The Commission wishes to convey condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes speedy recovery to the injured.
“The Commission notes that political contestations must be made in peace and choices made by other fellow citizens must be respected. All political parties appended their signatures to the code of peace and pledged that they would implore their supporters to desist from violence or any action that may lead to violence.”
The mayhem in town saw rowdy supporters of the losing opposition party forcing shopkeepers to close shop, prohibiting commuter buses from accessing town, leaving travellers walking long distances to their homes and destinations. For fear of losing their vehicles, the majority of commuter bus crews pulled out of the roads.
An unidentified upholsterer complained that they were forced to close their workshop along Chinhoyi Street. “Look here my brother; I have nothing to do with this demonstration, neither am I impatient about the pace at which results are coming. I work for my family and I have some bills chasing me. Right now I want to find my way back through Rotten Row, so I sneak back to the workshop and continue with my job.”
The man said he plies his upholstery job in a shared workshop at Kaymo Fabrics shop on Chinhoyi Street.
Scores of innocent civilians who were caught in the melee expressed anger at the behaviour of the protestors. According to the Public Order and Security Act, a demonstration must be sanctioned by the police and has to be allowed to proceed after communicating such permission to the convener of the demonstration in writing. Yesterday’s demonstration had no police clearance, hence it was illegal.
