Geza’s Day of Rage: Zimbabweans stay at home on day of planned protests

HARARE
–
Police
mounted
checkpoints
on
roads
leading
to
major
cities
and
towns
on
Monday,
searching
some
vehicles
for
“dangerous
weapons”
in
anticipation
of
planned
anti-government
protests.

Traffic
into
the
centre
of
Harare
and
Bulawayo
was
noticeably
reduced
as
many
appeared
to
have
chosen
not
to
go
to
work
and
children
stayed
away
from
school.

A
truckload
of
police
drove
up
and
down
on
an
emptied
Joshua
Mqabuko
Street
in
Bulawayo,
looking
for
any
trouble.

A
ZimLive
correspondent
in
the
CBD
of
Zimbabwe’s
second
city
said:
“It’s
like
Sunday
morning.
Not
many
people
or
cars
around.”

Outspoken
war
veteran
Blessed
Geza
called
for
an
“uprising”
against
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa,
charging
him
with
leadership
failures
and
paying
lip
service
to
corruption.

Authorities
have
charged
Geza
with
treason,
but
he
has
eluded
capture.

On
the
eve
of
Monday’s
planned
protests,
the
former
Zanu
PF
central
committee
member
wrote
on
X:
“Lets
fill
up
the
streets.
Mnangagwa
gust
go.
It’s
for
every
Zimbabwean.
Lets
stand
up
against
corrupt
rule.”

At
8AM
across
Zimbabwe,
there
were
no
signs
of
protests
on
the
streets.

“The
call
was
for
people
to
flood
the
streets
but
it
appears
so
far
Geza
has
achieved
the
opposite
with
many
staying
at
home
perhaps
out
of
fear
of
what
could
happen,”
a
ZimLive
correspondent
in
Harare
reported.

“Geza
will
claim
a
partial
victory
–
one
man
causing
so
much
chaos
and
potential
harm
to
the
economy
which
will
no
doubt
take
a
hit
from
the
industries
that
won’t
open.”

Large
supermarkets
in
the
city
centres
of
both
Bulawayo
and
Harare
did
not
open
their
doors.

Police
had
called
on
Zimbabweans
to
go
about
their
business
as
usual,
promising
sufficient
security.

Leave
was
cancelled
for
all
police
officers
who
were
also
surprised
when
the
government
deposited
US$50
into
their
individual
accounts
last
Saturday.

Police
detectives
were
also
made
to
sign
a
document
under
the
Official
Secrets
Act
committing
to
remain
loyal
to
the
government;
to
carry
out
any
instruction
given
by
the
police
commissioner
and
also
never
to
divulge
information
on
arrested
suspects.