By A Correspondent

Four activists have gone into hiding after suspected state security agents visited their location multiple times, allegedly seeking to arrest them.

The activists are accused of organizing a community meeting in Masvingo last week, where residents resolved to demonstrate and petition the Masvingo City Council against the continued use of the Runyararo West Dumpsite.

The activists claim they were simply facilitating a community discussion on health and environmental protection, focusing on the issues caused by the poorly managed dumpsite.

“We have been informed that the state security agency has been looking for us for the past two days,” they said.

“We never planned to demonstrate against anyone or any institution. Our work is centered around climate change and environmental protection, not political activism.”

The incident comes amidst reports of arrests of activists across the country in recent months, particularly during the SADC summit in Harare last week. Authorities had restricted community activities near and during the summit, leading to the arrests of political and civic society activists.

The four activists deny any link to political activism, emphasizing their focus on environmental protection.