News24
14 Sep 2018, 19:39 GMT+10
Zimbabwean police have blocked the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change party from holding its 19th anniversary celebrations this Saturday due to a cholera outbreak that authorities say has claimed at least 25 lives in the southern African country.
Initially detected in the capital Harare, authorities said the disease was spreading fast to other parts of the troubled nation.
Despite having sanctioned the event in which the MDC was reportedly planning a mock inauguration of its leader Nelson Chamisa who claimed victory in the July 30 polls controversially won by President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu PF party, police made a U-turn on Wednesday evening, banning the planned celebrations.
"Considering the magnitude of people that will be flocking from all over Zimbabwe on your anniversary celebration day, it is not advisable for thousands of people to gather in an area where there is an outbreak of a contagious disease. Meanwhile, the intended celebration is not sanctioned," police said in a letter to the MDC.
Zimbabwean authorities have declared a state of emergency in the capital Harare following the cholera outbreak that has more than 3 000 people being infected with the disease.
However, the MDC was quick to point fingers at Mnangagwa's administration accusing it of using the cholera outbreak as an excuse to ban its activities following the disputed elections.
* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER
on Twitter and Facebook
Spokesperson of the MDC, Jacob Mafume, told News24 that the government banned its event despite the cholera scourge having been contained in Harare's populous suburbs of Glen View and Budiriro.
"We are all aware that the regime is running scared of our gatherings; they have allowed life to go on as usual as far as it pertains to activities that are being done by the current Zanu-PF government.
They have defined public gatherings as those gatherings where the MDC is gathering," said Mafume.
Mafume said his party was taking stock of the ban before informing its party's structures on the way forward.
However, the party later issued a statement saying it was postponing the event to a later date.
The cholera epidemic has also forced the country's biggest institution of higher learning, the University of Zimbabwe, to cancel a graduation ceremony that was set to be presided over by President Mnangagwa on Friday.
Get a daily dose of Nashville Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Nashville Herald.
More InformationCHICAGO, Illinois - Five people have been shot dead and a number of others wounded by a gunman at an ...
WASHINGTON DC - A former U.S. Air Force intelligence specialist who defected to Iran six years ago has been charged ...
NEW YORK, New York - The bombing of a bus in southeast Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province this week that killed 27 ...
WASHINGTON DC - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed insider trading charges against a former senior attorney at ...
WARSAW, Poland - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence zeroed in on Iran on Thursday when he addressed Polish Prime Minister Mateusz ...
DARWIN, Northern Territory, Australia - A crackdown on the sending of illicit substances and other illegal items through the post ...
NEW YORK, New York - Visa and Mastercard are planning to lift commissions on credit card transactions processed by U.S. ...
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar - Almost 10% of the population of Myanmar is now resident overseas. Migrant workers from the country have ...
DUBLIN, Ireland - One of the major international credit rating agencies S&P Global Ratings this week inaugurated their new European ...
NEW YORK, New York - With a total 7.07 billion shares traded on Friday, U.S. stock exchanges were light on ...
NEW YORK, New York - The Big Apple has lost out on its bid to host a new headquarters for ...
LONDON, UK - Airbus on Thursday made a shock announcement that it would cease deliveries of A380s as of 2021. ...
DUBLIN, Ireland - Following its successful acquisition of Hollywood-based Blindlight, Irish video-gaming company Keywords Studios has now announced its latest accomplishment. Keywords r ...
Read More