Opposition MDC’s demonstrations which were slated to begin on the 16th of August in Harare were on Thursday banned by the police.
The police argued that they expected that the protests would degenerate into chaos thereby infringing the rights of peace-loving Zimbabweans.
The High Court also withheld the prohibition on Friday around past nine in the morning.
News Day believe that the police are not being truthful considering that the socio-economic issues which the MDC were protesting against are affecting every citizen.
The MDC indicated in its notice sent to the police on the 5th of August that the protests were against a number of ills including corruption, unemployment, power and fuel shortages, cash shortages, lack of “genuine political reforms”, politicisation and abuse of food aid, the imposition of debased currency and lack of the rule of law.
These are the basics which every citizen would yearn for. Therefore, the publication believes that it is senseless to opine that there was anyone whose rights were violated by merely asking for those basics.
Besides the fact that the demonstrations were for a genuine cause, they were very peaceful, like a church service or better.
The publication further observed that police brutality which was showcased in the public domain only served to further taint the image of Zimbabwe which desperately needs re-engagement with the international community.
More: News Day
WhatsApp Group: 
Telegram Group:
ZRP thugs are an accessory of Zanu PF!
These stupid asses. They behave as if they have their own economy. People are fighting for all including them. It’s not an an MDC country. Police should stop their stupid acts
These stupid asses. They behave as if they have their own economy. People are fighting for all.
locally and internationally the brutality exhibited by the ZRP generates a sad betrayal of Zimbabwehood and Africahood in a world with so much great wonderful things to share as God’s People.
Government scored an own goal on Friday the 16th. It’s a very real possibility that the people in police uniforms Friday were ZANUPF youth and not regular police details. The police were emasculated by the current regime and eel unwsnted. Fridays unprovoked brutality against peaceful demonstrators was probably ZRP seizing the opportunity to embarrass the ZANUPF regime for emasculating them. Whatever motivated police command to brutslise civilians was surely ill advised. Thanks to our witless Minister of Home Affairs all those efforts to re engage the international community must have on Friday have rolled up into a useless ball of chalk. Nothing was achieved by brutalizing people.
They will still come back onto the streets to demonstrate until the economic situation changes for the better. The corruption cases that have now come before the courts are a tip of the iceberg. When the whole corruption scenario finally explodes exposing all and sundry in ZANUPF and beyond the way we run this country will not remain the same.
If the protests are genuinely about the failing economy, then many people would support them, but the truth is that the economy is the least of MDC A’s focus – they clearly say they want Chamisa declared winner of last year’s Presidential election, and they want to force Zanu Pf out of power! They always say so in this newspaper! You will understand why SADC and AU are not sympathetic to the MDC cause – there are just a lot of mixed up issues! Some talk of a protest that is a revolution, some talk of a one hour march, and so on!
I think News Day can do a better job, than this pre-school article. Clearly the MDC A protests were based on a conflation of issues – not only government’s mishandling of the economy. It’s quite strange that the same newspaper always reports on the statements from the MDC A leadership where it states its 5-point plan, top being the so-called legitimacy issue, and not the economy! Further, the MDC A always openly states that it wants to force Zanu Pf into dialogue on their (MDC A’s) own conditions. So, for a whole newspaper to ignore these facts, is not only irresponsible, but very childish and reckless!
If Britain and US had not put sanctions either things would be ok because there would be no excuse for failure on the part of Zanu pf. If they fail they have so much sympathy because of the sanctions. This will go on and on and we suffer on and on and on. Who is to blame its us. If there were no sanctions MDC would have got sympathy from African leaders!