Zimbabwe police warn protesters will face “the full wrath of the law” after ex-Zanu PF veteran calls for nationwide demonstrations
Harare — Zimbabwean authorities warned on Monday that any illegal gatherings would be met with force after a prominent war veteran and former Zanu PF committee member urged citizens to take to the streets to denounce President Emmerson Mnangagwa and alleged corruption among his inner circle. The government, meanwhile, announced a one-off $150 “Special Presidential Bonus” aimed at soothing unrest.
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Police issue stern caution as call for action spreads
Commissioner Paul Nyathi, a spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), told reporters that security measures had been beefed up nationwide and that officers were prepared to act against unrest. “Any illegal demonstrations or gatherings will face the full wrath of the law,” he said, emphasizing that the authorities would not tolerate what they described as attempts to destabilize the country.
Nyathi sought to calm would-be panic, urging citizens to carry on with daily life and saying essential services — schools, businesses, public transport and government offices — would continue to operate. He also warned the public not to be swayed by what he called “misinformation” or social media threats.
Who is calling for protests — and why
The call for demonstrations came from Blessed Geza, a war veteran who once sat on a Zanu PF committee and who has publicly broken with the party in recent months. Geza’s statement accused President Mnangagwa and senior officials of corruption and mismanagement — charges that have echoed for years in Zimbabwe as economic stagnation and political infighting persist.
War veterans have long punched above their weight in Zimbabwean politics. They were central to the liberation narrative and played a decisive role in the ousting of former leader Robert Mugabe in 2017. That pedigree gives figures like Geza moral weight among some segments of the population, and it also makes their calls for action a sensitive matter for a government keen to project stability.
Government’s $150 bonus: a balm or a bandage?
In a move officials framed as responsive to public frustration, the government announced a $150 Special Presidential Bonus to be distributed to qualifying civil servants and, officials say, other vulnerable groups. The measure appears designed both to ease immediate hardship and to blunt momentum for street action.
For many Zimbabweans, however, the amount is likely to feel modest against a backdrop of rising prices and years of economic decline. While the government described the bonus as a targeted intervention, critics say such one-off payments do little to address structural problems: chronic unemployment, a collapsing formal wage base, volatile currency arrangements and a public sector that has been stretched thin for years.
Past protests and the government’s response — a familiar script
Zimbabweans have periodically taken to the streets in recent years to object to electricity shortages, fuel price hikes and economic mismanagement, and those protests have frequently been met with a heavy-handed response. International human rights groups have documented arrests, dispersals and the shutting down of communications during some unrest.
That history amplifies the significance of the police warning. For ordinary citizens, the calculus is sobering: anger about everyday hardships and corruption allegations on one hand; the real risk of confrontation with security forces on the other.
Signals to watch and wider implications
Several indicators will determine whether this episode escalates into wider confrontation or fizzles. Observers will be watching:
- Whether blessings Geza and other dissident figures can mobilize sustained street action beyond online calls;
- How the police and military choose to enforce the prohibition on gatherings — whether arrests are isolated or broad-based;
- Public reception of the $150 bonus and whether it is distributed transparently and quickly; and
- The role of social media and messaging apps, and whether authorities move to restrict digital channels as they have in previous crises.
The dynamic in Zimbabwe is not unique. Across the globe, governments facing economic strain frequently turn to short-term cash transfers to defuse unrest, even as deeper grievances remain. And governments under pressure often face a familiar choice: concessions that risk emboldening rivals, or crackdowns that can inflame tensions further.
Questions for a tense moment
As Zimbabwe navigates this moment, several larger questions hang in the balance: Can limited financial relief restore enough confidence to prevent protests? Will calls for accountability over corruption gain traction inside or outside ruling party ranks? And how far will a government prepared to assert control go to preserve order?
For citizens, the immediate concern is practical: safety, livelihoods and access to services. For regional governments and international observers, the stakes include stability in southern Africa and the precedent set by how Harare handles dissent.
This remains a rapidly evolving story. Reporting on the ground suggests caution all around: for citizens weighing whether to protest; for officials deciding on enforcement; and for international partners following a country where economic pain, political fractures and a fraught civil-military relationship make volatility a recurring possibility.
By News-room
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
