By Kelvin Kasiwulaya
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has ordered all its Provincial police commanders to allow opposition political parties to hold their rallies and if there are objections, they must consult their superiors before taking any action.
In a recent memorandum to officers commanding police provinces and officers commanding the Support Unit, which was copied to the Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Director of Police Intelligence, members of the securocrat were informed that, their actions should not be used to discredit the election procedures as well as the playing field, which has to be fair, peaceful, and credible.
This latest instruction is a response to action taken by the police who denied the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) opposition party permission to host their election campaign launch on July 9 in Bindura.
The memorandum cited that, of late social media has been awash with incidents where some political parties claimed to have been denied the right to hold their rallies by the police resulting in skirmishes.
“These skirmishes are discrediting the electoral processes, as such, commanders are requested to make sure that there are very valid reasons to warrant such rejections. Under such circumstances , regulating authorities are urged to thoroughly consult before coming up with decisions to deny any political player an opportunity to hold a rally or meeting,” said the police chiefs.
See full memorandum below:
Disclaimer: This memorandum was accessed via social media from a source .