Police disperse Harare protestors

By Margaret Chinowaita

HARARE – Police yesterday dispersed protestors from Harare’s Africa Unity Square as journalist-cum-activist Itai Dzamara continued to lead a sit-in pressing President Robert Mugabe to step down.

Dubbed Occupy Africa Unity Square, the demonstration attracted a heavy police presence.

Dzamara said he was chased away from the park together with dozens of  other people.

“We have embarked on processes through our lawyers of pursuing legal channels because the police are in blatant violation of both the law and my constitutionally guaranteed rights,” he told the Daily News.

“We had gathered at Africa Unity Square because I am waiting for a response from President (Robert) Mugabe to my petition. I submitted demands to him including that Mugabe and his government must admit and declare that they have failed to run the country.

“I demanded that he must agree to dissolve his government and engage all national stakeholders in finding a new solution to the challenges. I notified President Mugabe and the police that today I will be at Africa Unity Square until I get a response and I want it urgently.”

Dzamara said no response has come from the head of State who arrived in the country on Tuesday morning from Rome, Italy.

“If the President does not respond to my demands as he is doing now, I will continue with my mission of demonstrating,” he said. “I am demanding that response. We shall continue occupying Africa Unity Square. Just a while ago as you witnessed, we had gathered with 150 people who are committed to this mission. The police ended up clearing everyone out of  Africa Unity Square.”

Dzamara said they had held more than five meetings with the authorities.

“They admit that there is no breaking of the law,” he said.

Dzamara delivered the petition at Mugabe’s offices and copied it to the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda on October 17.

His demands to the President are that;

1) Immediately admit and declare that you and your government have failed to run the country, and must to step down.

2) Agree and pave way for a process of engagement involving all national stakeholders, towards establishment of an administration that takes over, to manage the country and prepare for fresh elections.

3) Make a commitment and public announcement that you shall not abuse state security agents by unleashing them to either intimidate the people, or usurp the people’s power and responsibility of determining the establishment of a new way for solving the national crisis.

4) Agree to, and accept that your party Zanu PF ceases to be the “ruling party” but becomes one of the national stakeholders, to be involved in the national engagement, and in equal capacity with the rest.

Dzamara has vowed not to stop his sit-in until he gets a response from Mugabe. Daily News