THE Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Cain Mathema, has directed Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga to ensure that police officers are on high alert and ready to deal with acts of violence or destruction of property following revelations that the opposition MDC-Alliance has lined up August demonstrations to destabilise the country.

In a statement yesterday, Mathema said the Government has gathered that the MDC-A was mobilising its supporters to embark on demonstrations, but Government will not tolerate anarchy.

MDC-A and its partners, Mathema said, have been holding a number of meetings to organise the demonstrations.

“My ministry has directed the Commissioner-General of police to ensure that, officers are on high alert and ready to deal with any acts of violence or destruction of property.
We appeal to all peace loving Zimbabweans to ignore these calls for demonstrations which are detrimental to the social economy development thrust of the Government,” he said.

Mathema said some of the evidence included a recent MDC Provincial Youth Executive meeting held in Harare where the members resolved to mobilise the public and engage in civil disobedience in order to remove the Government or force Zanu-PF to the negotiating table.

“Let me take this opportunity to warn any organisation, be it political or otherwise that is agitating or organising civil disobedience that the Zimbabwe Republic Police and other security services have a mandate of maintaining law and order in the country.

Anyone who engages in intimidation, incitement, threats or violence will only have himself to blame,” he said.State media