A man and a woman hold placards during an anti-corruption protest march along Borrowdale road, on July 31, 2020 in Harare. - Police in Zimbabwe arrested on July 31, 2020 internationally-aclaimed novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga as they enforced a ban on protests coinciding with the anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's election. Dangarembga, 61, was bundled into a police truck as she demonstrated in the upmarket Harare suburb of Borrowdale alongside another protester. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)
A mid fresh calls by the United Nations (UN) for the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration to uphold human rights in Zimbabwe, a Harare lawyer has described the country as a catastrophe waiting to happen. And a journalist has warned that growing poverty levels in that country would lead to an exodus of Zimbabwean nationals to neighbouring countries like South Africa.
Against a background of Zimbabwean security forces clamping down on the media and political dissent, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged President Mnangagwa’s government to allow for freedom of expression in line with Zimbabwe’s human rights obligations.
Harare has been at the heart of running battles between protesters and security forces, leading to unarmed demonstrators being viciously assaulted. Describing Zimbabwe as “a catastrophe waiting to happen”, Harare-based lawyer Thulani Mzala yesterday said Zimbabweans were “hard-pressed on every side”, having learnt “to take it one day at a time”.
“For the majority of the people, the situation is desperate and the situation on the ground is tense. Security forces have been targeting dissenting voices. Covid-19 has also made the situation worse. Informal traders who, prior to the Covid-19, constituted about 80% of the workforce, have seen their street trade being outlawed.
“For many people, it’s either Covid-19 or starvation. We are anxious to see what will happen next,” said Mzala.
Despite supermarkets remaining fully stocked, prices were out of reach for many Zimbabweans.
“The majority of people live off diaspora remittances,” said Mzala .
“There are always long queues of people waiting to collect cash from South Africa and overseas. The whole country is living off diasporans, who are the backbone of the economy as they provide the much-needed foreign currency.”
Mzala called for a “handson approach on Zimbabwe” from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“For political stability to be achieved, SADC urgently needs to engage the Zimbabwean government robustly, with a hands-on approach. SADC needs to hold member countries accountable for human rights violations,” he said.
With an unemployment rate estimated at around 90%, journalist Nyasha Chingono cautioned that Zimbabweans would soon be flocking to neighbouring countries in search of jobs.
“Wait until Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed and you will see a serious influx of Zimbabwean people in SADC countries, including South Africa. Their only deterrence is the coronavirus,” said Chingono.
Turning to pressure exerted on journalists, which recently saw award-winning author Tsitsi Dangarembga being arrested and charged with inciting public violence, Chingono said: “The situation is quite tough, now that one of our own has been arrested.
“Despite producing press cards during assignments to cover protests, some of us have been arrested, detained and beaten. This happens despite there being freedom of expression and freedom of the media, guaranteed by the constitution.”
– brians@citizen.co.za
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
