Police block CHRA’s ‘meet the candidates series’

By Tichaona Sibanda
19 March 2008

Police in Harare have stopped the Combined Harare Residents Association from holding public meetings with the contesting election candidates in the capital.

Mfundo Mlilo, spokesman for CHRA, told us Wednesday that the officer commanding Southerton police district had banned 16 of their planned ‘meet the candidate public meetings’ in all low and high-density suburbs south of the capital.

‘The Association has thus been incapacitated and unlawfully prevented from affording residents a platform to meet their potential leaders and engage them on manifestos. The refusal to grant clearances is a direct assault to democracy and the association’s right to freedom of assembly, freedom of association and expression,’ Mlilo said.

According to CHRA, police alleged they intended to use the platforms to motivate residents to be violent should the opposition lose the elections. They also allege that they do not have sufficient manpower for political rallies and civic programs. Instead police urged CHRA to motivate its members to attend party political platforms, if they want to listen to manifestoes.

But Mlilo maintained CHRA was a non-partisan association and would therefore want to engage contesting candidates on their manifestos, in neutral platforms.

‘The refusal by the police to grant clearance is thus an assault to our civic duty to enhance resident’s participations in matters of local governance. It is abuse of power by the police bent on creating chaos in the elections and subverting the will of the people,’ added Mlilo.

CHRA is worried the new delimitations have created a lot of uncertainty and that the Zimbabwe Election Commission has not done enough voter education. It wanted to use the banned meetings to educate residents on how to vote and to address questions on ward boundaries.

The association said it was aware of the political allegiance of the police, who were fearful of residents platforms enabling them to meet candidates from all political parties.