ARMED police Saturday broke a demonstration against President Robert Mugabe’s 93rd birthday bash, arresting and whacking members of the #Tajamuka social movement including Linda Masarira.
Nine Tajamuka members had gathered at Parirenyatwa hospital to stage a protest against the veteran leader’s birth day which was held in Matopos.
Mugabe’s birthday bash reportedly cost over $2 million which was raised through “donations” from the corporate world and ordinary citizens.
But according to Tajamuka the event was not supposed to go ahead as thousands of people are dying in government hospitals owing to the striking doctors.
Leader of the Saturday anti-Mugabe protest, Masarira, said they were brutally attacked by the police before they had even started demonstrating.
“They have beaten me up and I am in pain,” said Masarira on the phone.
“What is more painful is that we were just peacefully protesting,and expressing ourselves as well as reminding the President that while he was feasting patients were dying in hospitals because there are no doctors to attend to them,” she said.
Their Attorney, Sharon Hofisi from the Zimbabwe Lawyer for Human Rights, said his clients were charged with criminal nuisance.
“I am still waiting for the police to finalise their charges but at the moment they have preferred criminal nuisance,” he said.
Mugabe’s party went ahead despite complaints from the people from Matops who felt that it was insensitive for him to celebrate his birthday near the 1980s Gukurahundi massacres mass graves.