adminPolice said the coalition purported to seek clearance for a gathering from regulatory authorities in circumstances they were untenable as they were outside the provisions of the law.
This followed an outcry by leaders of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign in the international media and on pirate radio stations that they had been barred from holding a
commemoration this weekend at Zimbabwe Grounds, Highfield.
Save Zimbabwe Campaign leader, Mr Dhewa Mavhinga was on Studio 7 on Wednesday evening, a pirate radio station beaming anti-Zimbabwe sentiments from the US, claiming that police had unilaterally barred them from holding a peace prayer.
Mr Mavhinga had said the peace prayer was meant to commemorate the clash between police and activists on 11 March 2007 in which MDC-T activist Gift Tandare was allegedly shot dead by police.
But police spokesperson for Harare province, Inspector James Sabau accused the organisation of seeking political attention and relevance.
He said the coalition had submitted its application on 10 April to hold its commemoration on 14 April, a period that was less than the five days threshold prescribed by the law.
Inspector Sabau said it was also strange that the organisation did not hold its commemoration that police had sanctioned for 31 March, but had no courtesy to inform the police of their failure to proceed with the meeting.
“We strongly suspect that the issue was not about carrying out commemorations, but they want to attract outside attention when we refuse to sanction the meeting,” said Insp Sabau.
“When we sanctioned their meeting for 31 March they did not hold it. That is why they submitted another application on 10 April 2012 although it was dated 13 March 2012, knowing well that we would not sanction it because the law is clear that an application should be submitted when there is still five clear days.”
Insp Sabau said police felt that a decision to sanction a meeting disappointed the activists as it did not court controversy, hence the decision by the Coalition to submit another application in circumstances that were not consistent with the requirement of the law.
Online Reporter