Executive Summary
Protests and protests against protests were recorded in the month of July 2016 in
Beitbridge, Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. From July 1 Beitbridge residents
and cross border shoppers went on massive demonstrations against the imposition
of a ban on imported goods as stipulated in Statutory Instrument (SI) 64 of 2016; the
protests turned violent resulting in the torching of a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
warehouse and 36 people were arrested. While most citizens in all parts of the
country had expected a nationwide stayaway on July 6 as mobilised for by citizen
movements on the morning of July 4 areas such as Epworth, Ruwa, Mabvuku,
Mufakose witnessed protests by commuter omnibus operators including drivers and
conductors. The commuter omnibus operators were protesting against the increasing
number of police roadblocks which they argued made it difficult to make a living as
most of the money they made they had to pay the police. The protestors barricaded
roads and burnt tyres. In Makokoba, Bulawayo, violence erupted as roads were
blockaded, tyres burnt and thrown onto roads and some shops looted.
On 6 July at house number 2219 First Street in Makokoba a policeman threw a
teargas canister into Gogo Dube’s* house causing a fire which burnt the house and
destroyed all household property. The old lady and her five grandchildren were
injured in the process of escaping. They also inhaled teargas smoke. In a similar
incident, in the same township a three year-old child died at Burombo Flats after a
teargas canister was thrown into the house and the baby is said to have inhaled the
smoke.
Almost on a weekly basis during the month of July various protests were recorded in
Harare. Another stay away was called for on 13 and 14 July by #ThisFlag campaign
in response to the fact that the government either ignored or was not interested in
listening to their demands which had been made public. On 15 July 2016 vendors
led by the National Vendors Union of Zimbabwe chairperson, Sten Zvorwadza
staged a demonstration at the Town House in Harare against alleged corruption by
municipal police. In a bizarre turn of events, on 20 July 2016, Zanu PF youths
protested against the protests. They staged a march to their party headquarters in
support of President Robert Mugabe and denounced stay-aways and protests. The
youths were ferried from different parts of the country to join the march and were
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