By Talent Gondo
A Harare Magistrate, Lanzini Ncube has ordered the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to provide escort and security to participants of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) peaceful demonstration for electoral reforms.
Magistrate Ncube, set aside a prohibition order which had been issued by ZRP stopping CiZC from holding a public procession in Harare to demand the implementation of electoral reforms and issue petitions to both government and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
In a press statement issued today by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), the court ordered CiCZ to go ahead with their public procession on Wednesday 11 April 2018.
“The ZRP should provide escort and security to participants of the public procession and members of the general public,” ordered the court.
“The ZRP should also ensure free movement of human and vehicular traffic.”
The ruling follows a ZLHR challenge over the ZRP’S prohibition of CiCZ’s public procession to demand implementation of electoral reforms.
Through the ZLHR, the CiZC hauled the ZRP to court seeking an order to stop the law enforcement agency from interfering with a demonstration which was held on Thursday 05 April 2018.
The ZRP, through Chief Superintendent Ncube, the Officer Commanding Harare Central District, barred CiZC from marching from the central business district to the offices of the ZEC, where the coalition intended to hand over a petition to the election management body and to Parliament, demanding the speedy implementation of electoral reforms.
In a letter written to CiZC Acting Director Thulani Mswelanto, Chief Superintendent Ncube said CiZC should shelve the march because “violations of other road users’ freedoms are highly likely during the march” and that the flow of traffic along the proposed route will be “highly disturbed”.
Chief Superintendent Ncube said CiZC could only gather at Africa Unity Square from 1000hrs to 1200hrs from where the civil society organisation could then hand over its petition to Parliament.
This prompted CiZC to engage the ZLHR who filed an exparte application at Harare Magistrates Court, which was heard early on Thursday 05 April 2018.
In the application filed on Wednesday 04 April 2018, human rights lawyer Noble Chinhanu of ZLHR, argued that the conditions and amendments set by Chief Superintendent Ncube of confining the protesters to Africa Unity Square only, takes away the right of CiZC to hold a procession.
Chinhanu argued that the decision by Chief Superintendent Ncube was made without inviting CiZC representatives to a consultative meeting to explore options to prevent any threat if any and to allow the coalition to proceed with its march.