THE country’s main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has had many of its rallies banned by the police for a cocktail of reasons.
These include poor sanitation at venues, and lack of resources to facilitate political gatherings.
In the past week, the police banned six CCC rallies across the country.
These include the campaign launch gathering, which was set for Bindura last Sunday. The continued banning of rallies, along with authorities’ penchant to close the political space, has led to a sharp rise in tensions.
Scenes at the Bindura magistrates court and a near clash between the police and CCC supporters are just an indicator of what is to come unless attitudes change.
Scores of CCC supporters, who had travelled from different parts of the Mashonaland Central constituency, spent the whole Sunday at Bindura magistrates court where the Nelson Chamisa-led party was negotiating with the police to ban lift the ban to no avail.
The government is shooting itself in the foot again, busy creating heroes out of non-events.
Various surveys have pointed to a Zanu PF victory. This is not surprising because it has the power to close the space as the party in government.
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In the meantime, its own campaigns are in full force, which is unjustified.
The US embassy in Harare this week told the Independent that the US continues to implore for peace, transparency and inclusivity during the electoral processes.
“Our hopes for the upcoming 2023 harmonised elections are consistent with our long-standing policy in Zimbabwe. We stand for an election free from violence and non-partisan institutions that everyday Zimbabweans can trust,” the Embassy said.
The plea for peace by the US seems to be falling on deaf ears as the government's actions on the ground seem to be pointing towards bloodshed.
Zimbabwean elections have always been characterised by incidences of violence and human rights abuses by state security forces. It is also paramount to note that the government’s failure to reign in its security forces has added toxicity to the current political environment ahead of elections next month.
The Zanu PF-led government has a mandate to ensure an even political playing field. Already, under the current circumstances, a Zanu PF victory will be disputed and this election has already failed a free and fair test.
It is never too late for the government to make things right because a disputed election is a fertile ground for bloodshed and more suffering for the masses. Zimbabwe should focus on healing and reconciliation. But it seems the government is going in the opposite direction.
As it is, the current political environment is getting more toxic and any election result in favour of Zanu PF will be regarded as rigged
