The 31st July Movement and the Zimbabwe Economic Freedom Fighters (ZEFF) will stage a five day blockade of Beitbridge Border Post to protest the escalating human rights violations in Zimbabwe.
ZEFF has approached its opposition counterparts in South Africa for logistical support.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has already offered support to the planned demonstrations, saying his party would participate.
The ZEFF wrote to SA EFF requesting political and logistical support to ensure the success of the protest.
The objective of the protest is to shut down the Beitbridge Border Post to put pressure on the government of Zimbabwe.
The 31st July Movement (J31M) is a Zimbabwean citizen driven pressure group.
Its spokesman, Job Sikhala, is billed to address the protesters from his place of hiding, because police have issued a wanted notice on him for planning the 31st July demonstration after which the movement has been named.
EFF leader Julius Malema first mooted the protests, saying Zimbabwe’s should not be afraid to due because they are already dead.
He is also expected to grace the occassion.
EFF South Africa has already given political support to the movement and will provide logistical support for the demonstration.
The demonstration comes in the wake of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government turning a deaf ear to all efforts by the African Union and the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, to have him address the deteriorating situation.
Zimbabwean Catholic Bishops have also urged him to initiate a national dialogue, but they have been denounced as anti-government.
Corruption is behind most of Zimbabwe’s economic ills, but when journalists expose the corruption, they are locked up and accused of trying to bring down the government – very serious charges that can draw the death sentence.
Yesterday a magistrate forced accused journalist Hopewell Chin’ono’s lawyer to be withdrawn from the case, saying she was also on a regime-change agenda.
Chin’ono was in court looking gaunt, having been denied home-cooked meals in the maximum security remand prison where he is being held.