By Zivanai Dhewa
Peace loving Zimbabweans have condemned fresh calls for yet another demonstration barely a week after a demonstration dubbed #31July2020 flopped dismally. The demonstration which is calling for the closure of all Zimbabwe borders is slated for the 23 September 2020.
Businesses entities and Political Analysts have called for all Zimbabweans to ignore the call as there is no justification satisfactory enough to warrant the closure of Zimbabwe’s borders.
Part of the flyer that has been making the rounds on social media in an attempt to mobilise people to rise against a constitutionally elected Government read, “23 September all entries to Zimbabwe (borders) to be closed until Mnangagwa’s Zanu Pf is gone.”
Hleziphi Ngulube, a business woman based at the Beitbridge Border bemoaned the negative effects the demonstration calls were having on her business.
“I have a clearing company based here at the Bridge, since the beginning of Covid19 lockdown both in South Africa and Zimbabwe, my business went down because there were less and less people traveling in and out of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“However, we have managed to keep operating though at a low scale due to the little work brought in by the cargo trucks. Now this call for the border to close will affect cargo deliveries and this will further slow our business,” said Hleziphi.
Meanwhile Political Analysts have called on people to shun the meaningless demonstration saying President Mnangagwa is a constitutionally elected President who cannot be wished away. Furthermore, South Africa has had a lot of instances where its security forces have used brute force on its people in an effort to enforce its lockdown regulations and no one has called for the removal of the President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“On the 1st of April in Lenasia, South Africa a man was arrested and assaulted with others and died in a cell, and on the 4th of April 2020, in the Northern Cape, South Africa, a man was arrested for defying Covid19 lockdown regulations, he ran away and was shot dead, the policeman who did it is currently on special leave.
“11 April 2020, a 7year old child was shot in a police cross fire at Phola during a protest, again on 14 April a man was assaulted by the police in Soweto, taken to clinic and died,” said a source from one of South Africa’s leading newsrooms.
Adding that, “The number of people that have succumbed to assault by South African security forces is appalling, yet no one has ever called for the removal President Ramaphosa, do the lives of South Africans matter less than those of Zimbabweans?”
Meanwhile SADC has not put Zimbabwe on its agenda to the disappointment of the country’s detractors.
