6. July 2016
Zimbabwe shuts down in peaceful
protest against corruption
Zimbabweans have stayed at
home and foreign banks and most businesses in the capital, Harare, have shut
down operations in one of the biggest and most peaceful stay-away
actions in nearly a decade. The national stay-away day in Zimbabwe on
Wednesday, fronted by the social media movement ?#ThisFlag, came after violent
clashes between taxi drivers and police on Monday that led to the arrest of 95
people. It coincides with a strike by doctors, teachers and nurses over delayed
salaries. The southern African nation, ruled by president Robert Mugabe, has
been gripped by a devastating drought, adding to high unemployment and an acute
shortage of cash that has angered its citizens. #ThisFlag was started in
April by the Zimbabwean pastor Evan Mawarire, 39, to protest against the
government for allowing corruption, injustice and poverty. The
campaign has attracted thousands of followers who have been speaking out
against government excesses. The stay-away day was organised via Twitter,
Facebook and WhatsApp. Mawarire told Reuters: We have got to a point
now where everyone is saying enough is enough. The response has been
outstanding ... this is what we all needed, something that we can all do
together.. The state telecoms regulator Potraz said in a statement it
would arrest people sending subversive messages that cause
unrest. In the volatile township of Mufakose, west of Harare, hundreds of
youths barricaded roads to stop people from going to work, witnesses said. The
police arrested a dozen people.Local branches of Barclays and Standard
Chartered shut their doors in central Harare, while clothing retailers Edgars
Stores and Truworths also closed stores. Siyaso, one of the biggest and
oldest informal markets in Mbare township near central Harare, was also closed
and there were few vehicles on Harares roads. Government departments were
open, while supermarkets including Pick n Pay, OK Zimbabwe and
Choppies reported low business.A supervisor at an OK Zimbabwe store in the
central business district said: As you can see there are very few
customers here. It is not usual for a Wednesday to have these small
volumes. Local private media said Zimbabweans in other major cities
had also stayed at home, with most businesses closed. Zimbabwe last witnessed a
stay-away in April 2007. Mugabe attended a scheduled meeting with his senior
Zanu-PF executive during the stay-away on Wednesday. The party spokesman, Simon
Khaya Moyo, declined to say whether Zanu-PF would discuss the recent
protests.(The Guardian, London)
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