Police Block Biti’s Constitution Forum From Holding Meetings In Bulawayo
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has blocked the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) from holding two meetings in Bulawayo, which had been planned for Njube Hall and Stanley Hall in Makokoba.
Responding to the notifications submitted by CDF provincial organising secretary Mlandu Ncube, Officer Commanding Police Bulawayo West District, Chief Superintendent K. Nyaumwe, said the notifications were not approved because they did not comply with the provisions of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA).
CDF convener Tendai Biti, together with the movement’s deputy conveners, chairperson and other members, had been scheduled to meet residents to discuss what they described as the urgent national issue of defending the Constitution.
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the CDF said the police rejected their notifications submitted under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act, despite the organisers saying they had followed all the required legal procedures. CDF said:
“This decision is yet another clear attempt to close democratic space and silence citizens who are demanding respect for constitutionalism and the rule of law.
“This latest action must be understood in the context of the sustained campaign of intimidation and obstruction that CDF has faced over the past days, weeks, and months.
“Our members have been harassed, our meetings frustrated, and our leadership subjected to threats and surveillance.
“The recent siege at our Convener’s offices and the presence of suspected state agents are part of the same disturbing pattern…
“The blocking of peaceful Town Hall meetings only confirms what many citizens already know, that the democratic space is being systematically closed because those in power fear the message of constitutional defence.”
