Police arrest protest leaders Sten Zvorwadza and Promise Mkwananzi

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Police on Friday arrested civil activists Sten Zvorwadza and Promise Mkwananzi for allegedly inciting violence during a protest on Wednesday.

The #MyZimbabwe protest was organised by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) youth wing over worsening human rights abuses and a failing economy.

Police had earlier indicated that they had identified the organisers of the protest and were hunting for them.

An alert sent out on Friday said Zvorwadza was arrested just before noon at the Harare Central police station where he had gone to for his routine bail reporting.

The activist, who is also chairperson of the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe (NAVUZ), has a pending court case on a similar charge.

Police also arrested another activist, Promise Mkwananzi, for reportedly inciting violence during the Wednesday march that turned violent when the law enforcement agency tried to stop it and ended up tear-gassing the protesters who reportedly burnt down a police truck and a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) vehicle.

Mkwananzi is also out on bail for allegedly leading violent protests against President Robert Mugabe’s government in July.

According to the alert, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is providing the arrested activists with legal assistance. Nehanda Radio