Jacob Ngarivhume, president of the Transform Zimbabwe party, was reported to have been taken from his home on Friday by a group of people who cannot be identified but are likely members of the state security service.
The arrest comes amid a crackdown on dissent by the government, seen as an attempt to prevent what might be disruptive demonstrations at the upcoming 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit which will take place on 17 August 17th in Harare.
In a social media post, former Zengeza West Member of Parliament Job Sikhala wrote that Ngarivhume was taken away on Friday by unidentified men in a secretive Toyota Fortuner GD6. Award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, also posted a similar tweet and said Ngarivhume called him just before his arrest to tell him that his house was surrounded by secret service agents and police officers.
“Zimbabwean political activist Jacob Ngarivhume just called me now, telling me that his home is surrounded by Zimbabwean secret service and police officers! Ngarivhume has been arrested before and has spent time in jail on trumped-up charges. The Zimbabwean government has embarked on a crackdown against pro-democracy voices before the SADC summit, which is starting on the 17th of August. Ngarivhume’s previous arrests and time spent in jail on trumped up charges demonstrate a pattern of targeted harassment and intimidation by the Zimbabwean authorities,” tweeted Chin’ono.
The incident comes a few days after Ngarivhume and Sikhala announced that they intended to lead protests against corruption by the ZANU PF government and poor governance. Both have been in jail in the past on charges their supporters believe are trumped up.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) confirmed Ngarivhume’s arrest but did not give more details. The increasing number of opposition figures arrested has raised concerns about the government’s commitment to democratic principles and human rights.
Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe told reporters at a press conference in Harare yesterday that government would deal with potential demonstrators in no uncertain terms.
“It has historical footprints. We have always witnessed the penchant to mobilise for demonstrations around regional and international events. This SADC Summit was, therefore, not going to be an exception. It is clear that the organisers seek to provoke a heavy-handed response from the Government which they assume will attract global attention and put Zimbabwe on the spotlight. We have been through such episodes before and are prepared for the same. The attempts at rendering the country ungovernable will be met with befitting responses. Let those seeking to create an atmosphere of despondency among peace-loving citizens be warned that such antics will not be tolerated”.
International actors express dissatisfaction with these arrests. The United States Embassy in Harare, said: “The increasing reports of detention & violence toward Zimbabweans exercising their constitutional rights of freedom of expression & assembly run counter to the democratic principles upon which SADC is built.”
The United Kingdom also voiced concern over the arrests. In a statement, the British High Commission in Harare said: “Following these developments and statements by the Govt of Zimbabwe closely. Ahead of this month’s SADC summit in Harare, we urge the authorities to uphold the rule of law, including constitutional rights to assembly and association, and to ensure due process for all Zimbabweans.”
The European Union noted that the arrests were a violation of the rights of Zimbabweans. “We the Heads of Mission of the European Union in Harare are deeply concerned about the multiple arrests that have occurred over the last two months.”
The ZLHR reported that 11 Mutare residents have been arrested for allegedly planning public violence to disrupt the SADC summit. In addition to those 11, a man of the cloth, Bishop Kevin Nyamakanga, was also arrested in Harare for allegedly inciting violence ahead of the SADC summit whose preparation Zimbabwe has spent over US$200 million to impress its visitors.
Ngarivhume’s arrest as well as other activists who have also been incarcerated, have sparked widespread concern about the government’s commitment to freedom of expression and peaceful protests which are legal according to the constitution of Zimbabwe.
