By Political Reporter-The ruling Zanu PF party has celebrated the failure of an anti-President Emmerson Mnangagwa demonstration in Lusaka, Zambia.

Diaspora-based activists had mobilized funds from donors and flown to Zambia with the intent to protest during the 26th SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation.

Their goal was to pressure SADC not to transfer the regional bloc’s chairmanship to President Mnangagwa, as Zimbabwe is set to take over from Zambia next month on a rotational basis.

However, the activists’ efforts were thwarted by Zambian police, who intervened as they staged a demonstration without proper notification to the authorities. 

Reports suggest that the activists were trying to justify the thousands of dollars they had received from donors for the demonstration.

Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, speaking to reporters upon her return from the SADC meeting, laughed at the activists’ failed attempt. 

“The information that we got from our own security and intelligence wing was that there was one Zimbabwean who managed to sneak into the conference centre. He was just by himself, but the Zambians were very alert and they quickly removed him from the conference centre. I understand he was trying to mobilize people to demonstrate, but people didn’tturn up.”