Zimbabwe: Police on high alert amid calls for fresh protests

Riot police were expected to be out in force in Zimbabwe on Saturday after protesters planned fresh demonstrations calling for electoral reforms and the resignation of President Robert Mugabe, reports News24.

This comes despite a police order this week barring protests in the capital Harare.

Let's do this Bulawayo NeraZimbabwe #ThisFlag #Tajamuka #Sokwanele #ThiGown pic.twitter.com/CgOdB7AvcR

— Don Sikhosana (Iamtherealdon) September 16, 2016

A coalition of opposition parties under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) is demanding reforms ahead of the 2018 election, in which 92-year-old Mugabe plans to stand again.

Silvanos Mudzvova is a member the protest group called Tajamuka, currently in hospital after sustaining injuries from police in the recent protests.

He says: “As a movement, as Tajamuka, we actually believe that we have got a bright future because most of us we are youths, so as youths this is the only way that we can determine our future and the future of the kids that we are going to have so at this moment we cannot put brakes, we actually need to push forward continuously to make sure that Zanu PF and Mugabe go.”

Meanwhile the country’s high court has ordered for the release the perpetrators of the recent anti-Mugabe revolt. Mugabe on his part has vowed a crackdown on dissent and blasted judges for “reckless” rulings that have allowed previous demonstrations.