Anti-riot police today disrupted the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association’s (ZNLWVA) meeting which was due to start at the City Sports Centre in Harare by throwing tear gas canisters, resulting in running battles.
Police claimed the clearance for the war vets rally was for the nearby Zanu PF headquarters and not City Sports Centre, but in their response, the war veterans, accused the police of bias after Zanu PF youths were allowed to hold their rally at the City Sports Centre.
Some of the women gathered could be heard shouting that they only listen to President Robert Mugabe, and not the First Lady Grace, who leads another faction, the G40, which is opposed to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s faction, which is backed by war veterans.
At 10:30 am, things turned nasty as police started firing teargas to disperse the hundreds of the gathered war veterans.
The war veterans were restricted to the eastern side of Rekayi Tangwena, on the open space adjacent to Rainbow Towers Hotel and police brought in their water cannons and were reportedly using them to disperse the restive veterans of the liberation war.
