The banning of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rallies by the police is yet another sign that democracy is at serious risk under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership.
CCC, which poses a threat to Mnangagwa and Zanu PF’s continued hold on to power, is now virtually banned in Zimbabwe because it is not allowed to hold any meetings or rallies across the country.
The opposition party’s leaders are routinely arrested on trumped up charges and the police are doing everything in their power to ensure that its organisational capacity is curtailed.
Police continue to misuse the provisions of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act to stop CCC rallies on flimsy grounds.
The selective application of the law to cripple the opposition was the hallmark of the authoritarian rule of the late Robert Mugabe and it is a tragedy that the repression has gone a notch higher under Mnangagwa.
Zimbabwe has been isolated by the international community for nearly two decades because of the closure of the democratic space and the consequences to the economy and its people.
The economy has been on a tailspin for several years and the country has an unemployment rate of over 80%.
There are massive social problems that have been spawned by the economic collapse such as the drug abuse crisis consuming the country’s young population.
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Zimbabwe can only address these crises by moving away from its toxic politics to a more civilised contestation for power.
Evidence abounds from Zimbabwe’s neighbours such as Zambia and Namibia that there is a clear link between a working democracy and a thriving economy.
As Zimbabwe heads to elections later this year, there is need for police to start working within the confines of the constitution of Zimbabwe, which prohibits them from being partisan.
The ban against CCC rallies is clearly being done to give the ruling Zanu PF, which is facing the real prospect of losing power because of its failure to deliver on 2018 election promises, an unfair advantage over its opponents.
As shown by Mugabe’s fall from grace in 2017, there will come a time when citizens will say enough is enough.
The anger against the Zimbabwe Republic Police that was palpable during the days of the coup was mainly fuelled by citizens’ dislike for abuse of power where police officers were used to supress the opposition.
It is not too late for Mnangagwa to return to the democratic path in order for him to leave a better legacy than his predecessor.
