The ruling Zanu PF Government is already preparing to thwart the intended 31 July demonstrations with authorities targeting Harare and Bulawayo for renewed Covid19 lockdowns.
Opinion leader, Alex Magaisa on Wednesday said it was neither normal nor wise to ‘give an authoritarian regime notice of impending action, unless part of the regime is comfortable with it as in November 2017 (when former President Robert Mugabe was ousted in coup)’.
Alex Magaisa
“Such regimes are not wired to respect or wait for notices. Their nature is to prepare against such notices. If you’re watching carefully the regime is already shaping the narrative for a renewed lockdown. Watch carefully as state media intensifies the narrative of an escalating COVID19 pandemic. This is to lay grounds for increased deployment of police & soldiers on the streets,” said Magaisa in comments posted on his Twitter handle.
“Harare and Bulawayo will be the main targets of this new and enhanced lockdown and this will grow towards the end of the month. All this because the regime has been given ample notice to prepare. That’s what authoritarian regimes do. Notices favour them,” he said.
Magaisa’s sentiments come in the wake of insinuations by Government spokesperson Ndavaningi ‘Nick’ Mangwana that with Harare and Bulawayo leading in the number of Covid19 cases, it was wiser to apply full lockdowns in the two cities.
Ndavaningi ‘Nick’ Mangwana
“Harare has the vast majority of positive COVID19 cases. Yesterday (Tuesday), Bulawayo recorded 30 of the 53 positive cases. If there is any scaling up of containment measures, a more surgical approach is better. It means full scale lockdown should only apply to Harare and Bulawayo,” Mangwana tweeted.
Hard-pressed Zimbabweans are readying themselves for street protests expected to take place on July 31.
The envisaged protests come in the wake of a weak local currency against the skyrocketing of prices of basic commodities amid calls for dollarised salaries and monthly allowances.
Zwnews
