Army on Harare’s streets ahead of election results
HARARE: Zimbabwe soldiers and police were on the streets of Harare yesterday as authorities came under increasing pressure to release results of the presidential election after a deadly crackdown on protesters.
The country’s landmark election — the first since veteran autocrat Robert Mugabe was ousted last year — turned bloody on Wednesday when troops opened fire on demonstrations against alleged electoral fraud, leaving three people dead.
The government blamed the MDC opposition party for inciting the unrest and vowed to enforce a security crackdown.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said he wanted an independent investigation into the killings, and that he is seeking settle differences “peacefully”.
The United Nations and former colonial power Britain expressed concern over the violence, and called for “restraint”.
Yesterday, soldiers were on guard outside the headquarters of the ruling ZANU-PF party, while armoured personnel carriers, water cannon trucks and police anti-riot vans drove through Harare sporadically pausing outside the MDC headquarters.
Downtown Harare, where protesters were killed, was quiet in the morning.
“I wasn’t sure whether it’s safe to come to work. We had to consult among ourselves whether it would be safe,” said one worker who declined to give his name.
Elsewhere markets were open and queues formed outside banks — a common sight in Zimbabwe due to the country’s chronic shortage of banknotes.
In a late-night press conference on Wednesday, Home Affairs Minister Obert Mpofu said further protests would not be tolerated.
“The opposition ... have perhaps interpreted our understanding to be weak, and I think they are testing our resolve and I think they are making a big mistake,” he said.
The MDC said the army had opened fire “for no apparent reason”, killing unarmed civilians.
The presidential election race pits Mr Mnangagwa, Mr Mugabe’s former ally in ZANU-PF, against opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change).
In official results from the parliamentary election, also held on Monday, ZANU-PF won easily — suggesting Mr Mnangagwa, 75, would be on course to retain the presidency.
But the MDC has said it won the elections outright and accused the government and Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) of rigging the count.
The ZEC said the final results of the presidential race may not be known
until tomorrow.
Monday’s polls had been meant to turn the page on years of violence-marred elections and brutal repression of dissent after Mr Mugabe’s 37-year rule was ended by a brief military takeover in November.
But the mood quickly descended into anger as MDC supporters rallied in the city, chanting against the government and burning tyres in the streets.