By John Cassim
As a journalist I have covered several demonstrations and protests in Zimbabwe but on Monday the fuel protests were characterized by thuggery.
The cause was noble according to ZCTU but the stay away ended up being community based protests.
Buses, cars and buildings were allegedly destroyed and even burnt.
During the course of my duties I witnessed serious extortion by youths in various townships, in some areas my press card was a pass to allow me to drive past human, rock and burning tyres barricades.
In Dzivarasekwa my pocket was heavily shaken. I was ordered to pay a minimum of $1 per every check point. Some of the youths were as young as 13 years old under the guidance of gang leaders.
The check points at times were just 50 meters apart, and they threatened either to burn or stone my car so I complied.
When I was almost turning into Bulawayo road the situation there was very volatile, the youths had just burnt down a bus. I could see the bus in flames and from nowhere 6 youths wielding huge rock approached my car and demanded 10 American dollars. I offered them $10 bond and they refused.
I was ordered to turn back which I did and parked at DZ 4 shops for safety. I left the car and proceeded home on foot.
It was only after about 4 hours and involvement of the army that I managed to retrieve my car after 1800hrs.
I met two of the youths who had earlier extorted cash from me and they apologized but confessed they had made huge sums of cash. One told me he got $173 bond, ZAR 200 and USD 10.
I asked why they extorted cash from motorists, in his response he replied, ‘it was the instruction mudhara, we had to follow instructions’
