Thousands of Zimbabweans, mainly in the opposition, took to the street today, Saturday, in the capital Harare, demanding the President, Robert Mugabe who has ruled the country for 28 years now, to step down.
The protest under the auspices of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was attended bu an estimated 10000 people.
Speaking before the crowd, MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai made it clear that the protesters were not calling for revolution, but merely fair elections.
“We are not demanding an overthrow of the government… We are demanding a dignified exit for the tired Mugabe,” Tsvangirai said, adding, “It’s time Mugabe listens to the voice of the people. The people shall liberate themselves.”
Tsvangirai ran against Mugabe in 2002, 2008, 2013. In what can only be described as a bastardisation of the democratic process, he got more votes than Mugabe in 2008 but “not enough to win,” according to the Mugabe government’s electoral oversight officials.
The protest suffered a hitch when organisers were initially denied the licence to match but the nation’s high court gave the go-ahead. [myad]
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