By Political Reporter- More than 100 human rights and political activists have been arrested ahead of the 44th SADC summit due in Harare in two weeks’ time.

Zimbabwe is preparing to assume the chair of the Southern African Development Community and to host the SADC Summit on August 17 in Harare.

The Zimbabwean Lawyers for Human Rights, representing most of these activists and other rights groups, have raised concern over Harare’s human rights abuses.

The latest is the abduction, torture and arrest of four pro-democracy activists who were taken from a plane at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

Jameson Timba, an opposition politician with 77 opposition activists, has been in remand prison for two months. They were arrested while commemorating the International Day of the African Child on June 16.

They are being held in horrific conditions and repeatedly denied bail.

South Africa’s opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, released a statement, calling on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, to exercise South Africa’s right as a SADC member and urgently demand that the upcoming SADC summit be moved to a different location.