Zimbabwean police have banned an opposition protest march
planned for Wednesday, but the Movement for Democratic Change said
it would press ahead with the demonstration against President
Robert Mugabe's government.
The MDC, the country's main opposition party, said last week it
would demonstrate against the crumbling economy and call for a new
constitution which it said would guarantee that elections due in
March would be free and fair.
"We are proceeding with the march...we're marching because our
people are suffering...there's no water, no electricity. The
government is totally bereft and bankrupt of any capacity to govern
this country. This government has failed," Tendai Biti,
secretary-general of the MDC faction that is led by Morgan
Tsvangirai, told reporters.
The police, who had initially allowed the march, said in a letter
that they had banned the protest because the MDC had broken an
agreement reached at a meeting last week.
Zimbabweans have tended to shy away from demonstrations, mainly
from fear of a heavy-handed response by Mugabe's security
forces.
Assistant Police Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena told state
television the march had been banned over fears it would degenerate
into violence and looting, and warned the MDC against any acts of
defiance.
"We are not going to allow this march and we are going to use all
the powers entrusted in the police to stop it," he said.
Tsvangirai, who was arrested and beaten with dozens of opposition
members while trying to hold an anti-government rally last year,
said earlier this month the party might boycott the elections
unless the government implemented the new constitution.
The MDC said it had called the march to test the commitment to
political reforms of Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party.
The MDC is in talks with ZANU-PF, mediated by South African
President Thabo Mbeki, that are aimed at ending Zimbabwe's
political crisis
Asked if the MDC would pull out of the talks over the police ban,
Biti said: "We've got full confidence in President Mbeki. We will
remain on the negotiating table."
Political analyst and Mugabe critic John Makumbe said the march ban
was predictable.
"This is a government which fears street protests, and they have a
record of never taking chances. With what is going on in Kenya, I
did not expect they were going to allow that to go ahead even for
good marks on their political record," he said.
