31 August 2016•Update: 01 September 2016
By John Cassim
HARARE, Zimbabwe
Amid persistent economic troubles, a planned general strike in Zimbabwe Wednesday fizzled, with the threat of more mass demonstrations Friday against the country’s president looming.
Shops and offices were open as usual in the capital Harare, some under tight security, with subdued traffic and a heavy police presence.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group said there had been a handful of arrests in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, when they tried to demonstrate, but there was a tense calm in other small towns.
Eighteen opposition political parties have also called for more mass demonstrations Friday calling for electoral reforms, in what could be another volatile day.
The earlier call by the group Tajamuka, led by mostly unemployed young people, for people to stay away from work Wednesday was meant to up the pressure on Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s 92-year-old authoritarian president, to either resign or reform.
After attending a regional meeting in Swaziland, Mugabe in currently in Dubai, as rumors swirl about the nonagenarian's health.
Tajamuka is calling for Mugabe to resign due what they call 36 years of misrule, corruption, police brutality, delayed payment of civil servants’ salaries, and a biting cash crunch.
But economic woes make it difficult for people to miss a day of work.
“Some of the people who decided to stay away from work could have done it out of fear because of violence that erupted in the past few weeks leading to the arrest of hundreds of citizens,” said political analyst Masimba Manyanya. “Those who opened their shops could have been forced to do so as this is the end of the month and [shop-owners are] battling to raise rentals and salaries.”
Manyanya said the call for a strike could have been ill-timed, as Zimbabwe is an informal economy, so when people miss work, they make less money.
“Our economy is heavily in-formalized with at least 80 percent unemployment, so for survival people are into street vending,” Manyanya said.
At least 70 Zimbabweans are languishing in prison following last Friday’s historic opposition party protest against Mugabe.
Since Friday, lawyers representing the incarcerated have between fighting in court for their release but to no avail. Amongst those arrested last week is photojournalist James Jemwa.
“Why is the new prosecutor general not being asked why he is refusing and opposing bail? Why is the police commissioner not being interviewed about what evidence he has against the journalists? Why are the courts being spared scrutiny?” complained Jacob Mafume, a lawyer for some of the arrestees.
The situation in the country remains highly volatile, with human rights groups and Western embassies urging the government to respect the constitution as well as international laws.
