HARARE, Mar. 19 (NewsDay Live) – Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba has refused to sanction Thursday's planned mass protests against alleged misgovernance saying the organisers wrongly directed their request letter to the Joint Operations Command (JOC) instead of his office.
The protests, organised by Concerned Citizens of Zimbabwe, were meant to register the public's concern over alleged high-level corruption and misgovernance by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.
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Several civil society groups, vendors and war veterans had thrown their weight behind the mass protests, but Matamba's response in a letter dated March 18, 2025, has effectively derailed the programme.
Part of the letter read:
“Having perused the said correspondence, and particularly, noting that the author(s) intend to ‘notify the Joint Operations Command (JOC) of an intended ‘peaceful demonstration countrywide’, I am certain that it has been misdirected to my office.
“The Legislature, in its wisdom, through (sic) Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) [Chapter 11:23], excluded my office from regulating public gatherings and demonstrations.
“In fact, MOPA clearly outlines how these rights must be exercised.”
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Meanwhile, police have beefed up security at potential hotspots in urban areas and along major roads ahead of the planned protests.
