Dissenters’ decision to stage a symbolic protest in neighbouring Zambia shows the lengths Zimbabweans must go to voice their opposition
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.s Zimbabwe prepares to assume the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community set to take place on 17 August, the country faces a severe crackdown on. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has responded to growing protests against his leadership with heavy-handed tactics, arresting scores of opposition members and activists.
These arrests underscore a worrying trend of suppression of civic space and intimidation and harassment of activists and opposition politicians ahead of the summit. The Zimbabwe government has warned against “criminal and opportunistic elements within the opposition, certain politicians, and some civil society organisations” and has threatened to use law enforcement to crack down on dissenters.
The stifling grip of repression in Zimbabwe has driven dissenters to seek refuge across borders to exercise their fundamental right to peaceful assembly. On the 11 and 12 July, demonstratorsin Zambia at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, far from their homeland, to voice their opposition to Mnangagwa’s leadership. The decision to hold the protest outside Zimbabwe speaks volumes about the dire state of affairs in the country.
In this vein, the role of neighbouring countries such as South Africa, cannot be overstated. The recent extension of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits by the South African government until November 2025 offers temporary relief to about 178 000 Zimbabweans living in South Africa. But it is unimaginable that the South African government could contemplate sending Zimbabweans back to such repressive conditions, which are most likely to endure if the Zimbabwean government remains unchecked.
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