Zimbabwe police disperse protesters with water canon and tear gas

Zimbabwean police dispersed protesters with batons and water cannons during an anti-government demonstration on Wednesday in the capital Harare.

The protesters were largely unemployed graduates who were decrying the economic policy of the Robert Mugabe led government. Their procession joined that of another group rejecting plans by government to introduce bond notes into the economy.

The notes are to address the acute dollar shortage the country is facing. Bond notes are currency notes that are supposed to have the same value as the dollar.

The police dispersed the demonstrators who gathered outside the Finance Ministry according to AFP.

Zimbabweans combine the #thisgown & #NoToBondNotes protests.. It's lit:
(Images ArtherChatora Chrisposure) pic.twitter.com/6MSnmRAAt4

— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) August 3, 2016

Water canon trucks,tear gas pple running ! Again Violation of Constitutional rights #NoToBondNotes #ThisFlag 🇿🇼🚶🏾📱 pic.twitter.com/ROwo0zPqzD

— Gilbert.Navonika (@giggz83) August 3, 2016

Protesters carried the flag of Zimbabwe around their neck, as has become the case during recent protests that has gripped the country. Some of the messages on the placards carried included “A liberator, now an oppressor”, “Mugabe must go”, “You have failed Mugabe.”

#Zimbabwe anti government protest #harare “President Mugabe, just quit and go. I will forgive you.” pic.twitter.com/st6NCLLpwp

— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) August 3, 2016

Zimbabwe’s economic crisis which started in the early 2000s has worsened this year and the government has run short of cash to pay civil servants. Several groups of people have denounced the economic chaos engulfing the country.

“What we say is simple: we need jobs,” Munjere Douglas, an unemployed graduate told AFP. “All these people should be at work, but there are no jobs,” he added.

The demonstrators had earlier presented a petition to the Ministry of Finance to denounce this economic measure which threatens a return of hyperinflation that destroyed the economy in 2008-2009, while pushing Zimbabwe to abandon its national currency.