The capital Harare was virtually shut down and the same goes for Bulawayo. Government owned media houses were heavily guarded by armed soldiers. In Masvingo more than 1000 peaceful protestors where at Mucheke terminus and defied the heavy police details.
0630 – Warren Park (to city) Roundabout closed off, barricaded by angry protesters. No vehicles can pass through.
0620 – Bulawayo, Police officers, soldiers absent. Cops and army sp far appear to have stayed away as well. Burnt tyres in Njube, Bellevue, Khami roads. No police presence at all. No kombis.
0550 – Quiet in some other places show Zimbabweans have heeded the#ShutDownZim.
0500 – In Harare, protests have started in Glenview, Dzivarasekwa where people are burning tyres.
In Zengeza, by this time of the day it used to be noisy with cars of the touts and their Hwindis but today it’s unsually quiet.
Even vendors who by this hour used to be queueing to go for orders in Chikwanha and Mbare they are all indoors playing a wait and see attitude.
0400 – Zimbabweans start freely circulating formulae for making petrol bombs and publish all this on the social networks Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Some even publicly print out using their full names the intention that the bombs will be used to attack all and any police officers and soldiers who encroach to assault innocent Zimbabweans.
09:15 Reports from Kwekwe indicate the town has come to a standstill as there are no commuter omnibuses. Those that commute from the town to work in Gweru are stranded.
09:20 – Bulawayo heeds shutdown call as most shops in the central business district and high density suburbs are closed. Commuter omnibus operators have parked their kombis.
In Gweru some shops are closed and business is low. An army water cannon is stationed at a Choppies Supermarket in the CBD, apparently protecting the Vice president Phelekezela Mphokon outlet.
09:00: Armed riot police presence at OK shop at Kamunhu Shopping Centre in Mabvuku. In Dzivaresekwa there are no people to board a few kombis available while armed police officer with rifles are patrolling the areas.
10:30 – There are running battles between the police and residents at Magandanga area in Mufakose. They have launched teargas, but the residents are grouping. All schools and shops are closed and kids are excited with the demonstration, they have also joined. No Kombis and many people are in the streets, a sign that most people did not go to work.
0000 – Previous Day: Activists, war veterans and civil service trade unions have called for and endorsed the nationwide stay-away, which is running under hashtag #ShutDownZim.
Masvingo
Masvingo citizens, churches and Civil Society Organisations led a successful stay way today as most businesses, companies and transport operators downed tools.
More than 1000 peaceful protestors where at Mucheke terminus and defied the heavy police details who were deployed in each and every business center of Masvingo.
6 Human Rights Defenders have been arrested and are currently detained at Chikato Police Station. They are being denied access to lawyers but no charge has been leveled against them up to now, more than 15 organizers are still at large and the Zimbabwe Republic Police have launched a man hunt to the organizers of the peaceful stay away.
Most of the organizers are from COTRAD, Masvingo Residents Trust and Masvingo Residents and Ratepayers Alliance.
The arrested are Elvis Kwangari, John Gondo, Amos Ndingwa, Godwin Masiyei, Frank Makweza and Last Mugabaza.
London
Exiled Zimbabweans demonstrated in London on Wednesday for the third day in a row as unrest mounted in Zimbabwe. They gathered outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in support of the ‘stay away’ protest’ at home.
They found that the building was closed – but cannot say that this was in support of the protest as the Embassy seldom appears to be open, perhaps because the staff are going unpaid.
