By Paul Nyathi

Hundreds of civil society members on Thursday defied a blockage by heavily armed anti riot police to continue with a scheduled demonstration for electoral reforms in the streets of Harare.

About five hundred members of civil society organisations affiliated to the Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition assembled at the Africa Unity Square in the capital mid morning preparing to march into the city before police details attempted to block them.

Holding onto a police notice from Harare central police clearing the demonstration, the marchers took to the streets and proceeded to deliver a petition at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission offices in the city before proceeding to drop similar demands at the Ministry of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

The march ended at the Parliament of Zimbabwe where another petition signed by 162 civil society organisations was delivered for the Speaker of Parliament.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the march, the Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition director Thulani Mswelanto took swipe at the police for attempting to disrupt the march.

“Its unfortunate that police attempted to deny people of their constitutional right to demonstrate and petition,” said Mswelanto.

Mswelanto said that the demands from civil society were genuine demands for a free and fair election which they have been raising with government for the last three years with no joy from the government.

“We are demanding for the implementation of the electoral reforms presented to government in a petition by the Election Resource Centre in a petition three years ago,” he said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been going around promising that his governement will this year thrive to present a credible, free and fair election.

Government has however deliberately continued to ignore implementing the reforms with just under five months to the next election.