In a recent Facebook post, prominent journalist and activist Hopewell Chin’ono expressed deep concern over the Zimbabwean government’s decision to station riot police trucks outside the Milton Park offices of Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s former finance minister, senior lawyer, and opposition leader.
Chin’ono criticized the move as a stain on the country’s democratic values, highlighting that the police presence was based solely on the anticipation that Biti would meet with a group to discuss opposing the extension of the president’s term to 2030. He emphasized that Biti’s leadership of the Constitutional Defence Forum is protected under Zimbabwe’s constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and assembly.
“If anything happens to Tendai Biti or to his property, the government will be fully responsible because of what we are witnessing. The whole world can see this,” Chin’ono warned. He also questioned the government’s judgment and understanding of international perception, referencing recent high-profile investments such as that of Aliko Dangote.
Chin’ono appealed directly to the president, urging him to order the police to withdraw from Biti’s offices to preserve Zimbabwe’s image on the global stage. “It does you no favours when the world sees these pictures, and it only damages the image of our country. Please, for the sake of Zimbabwe, this must stop,” he concluded.
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