Harare aflame as protesters clash with troops
A supporter of the Movement for Democratic Change party in Zimbabwe wears a cone on his head for protection as he helps to block a street in Harare. Zimbabwean troops were deployed last night after three people were reportedly killed in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces following election results
Nine months ago they were greeted as heroes, posing for selfies with civilians overjoyed at liberation from a corrupt and violent dictator who plunged the country into economic misery.
But last night Zimbabwean troops were back on the streets of Harare, with bayonets fixed, and in armoured cars, to impose order with a blunt force that brought back unpleasant memories.
The fragile hopes that Zimbabwe’s first elections since Robert Mugabe was overthrown would be peaceful went up in a pall of black smoke and tear gas.
Police said three people were killed in clashes between opposition supporters and security forces in Harare yesterday afternoon. At least one person was shot by soldiers, deployed after police were unable to quell the violence.
Tensions have been building since Monday’s historic presidential and parliamentary elections, in which Nelson Chamisa of the opposition MDC alliance sought to topple Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zanu-pf, who ousted Mr Mugabe in a coup in November.
Mr Chamisa, who repeatedly accused the country’s electoral authorities of colluding with Zanu-pf to falsify the vote, claimed victory shortly after polls closed and said he would not accept any result that favoured his opponent. MDC supporters began to gather at the party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday morning after early parliamentary results gave Zanu-pf a resounding majority. “We are determined to stay on the streets until we have the real result,” said Tereai Obey Sithole. “We are not going to accept any result that is not victory for Mr Chamisa.” By midday, MDC activists near the headquarters began to chant “Chamisa! Chamisa! We are prepared to die for you!” And “Jambanja! Jambanja!” – the Shona word for war.
By 12.15pm, hundreds of people in MDC regalia had gathered outside the Rainbow Towers hotel and conference centre, where journalists and observers had gathered to hear electoral officials announce the final results.
Inside, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) confirmed a landslide for Zanu-pf in the 210-seat parliament. Of 205 seats that had been counted, Zanu-pf took 144 and the MDC Alliance 61.
But Justice Priscilla Chigumba told reporters that presidential results could not be released until representatives of all 23 candidates had reviewed the returns and approved them or objected.
She said several representatives had failed to present themselves at the ZEC and appealed to them to do so. It was not clear whether the protesters were aware that the announcement had been delayed, but there was fury at the parliamentary results and many lit fires.
“They are saying it is free and fair but it is not fair,” said Charles, an MDC activist. “No one told us to come and protest. People are angry.”
Within moments, shots were ringing out, the thud and bang of baton rounds and tear gas canisters interspersed with the sporadic automatic fire. President Mnangagwa issued a statement, blaming Mr Chamisa for the violence in an attempt “to disrupt the electoral process.”
MDC officials said they were “shocked” by the violence but said the decision to deploy troops was disproportionate and unjustified.
“Police are trained to keep public order. Soldiers are trained to kill in war,” an MDC spokesman said.
In an address on national television, a police spokesman said the interior minister requested deployment of the army but that the troops remained under civilian command. She said perpetrators and instigators of “hooliganism and violence” would feel “the full force of the law” and invited Tendai Biti, a senior MDC MP, to give himself up to “assist us with inquiries.”
Mr Biti gave a press conference on Tuesday in which he claimed victory for Mr Chamisa and the MDC and refused to rule out protests against what he said was official vote rigging.
An MDC spokesman refused to disclose Mr Chamisa’s whereabouts, fuelling rumours that he is in hiding.
The violence will deal a heavy blow to the Zimbabwean government’s efforts to prove it has changed. British diplomats have told Mr Mnangagwa that peaceful and credible elections are vital to end international isolation and have dangled backing for international financial assistance and the return to the Commonwealth as a reward.
Shortly before violence broke out, the head of the EU’S observer group had offered qualified praise, saying the broadly peaceful conduct of campaigning and voting represented an “opening up of political space.”
But Elmar Brok told reporters that systematic pro-zanu-pf bias in the media and a lack of transparency from electoral authorities meant a level playing field had not been achieved.
He called on authorities to release presidential results as soon as possible.
By the time darkness fell, an uneasy calm had fallen over Harare. Bricks, shattered glass, and blackened patches of debris littered the roads.
Riot officers and soldiers patrolled at intersections as a handful of brave taxi drivers hustled for business from observers and journalists. But with the presidential result still to come, the storm may only be beginning.
‘We are not going to accept any result that is not victory for Mr Chamisa’