Police in Zimbabwe announced on Tuesday the arrest of 95 people on charges of promoting public violence after they joined protests demanding that President Emmerson Mnangagwa step down.
The arrested individuals appeared in court a day after Monday’s demonstrations, which were organized by Blessed Geza, a former member of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party. ZANU-PF has governed the southern African nation since its independence in 1980.
According to police, around 200 protesters gathered at Harare’s Freedom Square, throwing stones at officers and briefly barricading a main road. They chanted slogans such as “Enough is Enough” and “Mnangagwa Must Go.” Authorities cited laws prohibiting public disturbances and gatherings intended to incite violence as the basis for the arrests.
Geza led the protests in opposition to a faction of ZANU-PF seeking to extend Mnangagwa’s rule beyond 2028. Although security forces largely contained the demonstrations, many businesses, schools, and shops shut down in what observers described as a stay-away protest.
In a social media address late Monday, Geza thanked supporters for their participation, stating he would not call for further protests but promised ongoing actions to remove Mnangagwa and his “corrupt cabal” from power.
