On Monday, students from various tertiary institutions protested on social media against alleged ‘judicial capture’ and weaponisation of the law against opposition members.
The protest was sparked by the continued imprisonment of opposition CCC legislator Job Sikhala, and students showed solidarity by painting graffiti in the capital calling for his release.
Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union President Boris Muguti said the protest aimed to send a message to the government. NewsDay cited Muguti as saying:
The primary agenda was to send a message to the regime in Harare and register our discontent against judicial capture. The message was successfully delivered.
Students were wearing black all over the country mourning the death of democracy and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. The campaign was also a way of expressing our solidarity with the incarcerated comrades Job Sikhala and Jacob Ngarivhume.
As barometers of class consciousness, we cannot afford to sit and watch while the regime continues closing the democratic space in the country.
Jacob Ngarivhume recently received a four-year jail sentence for inciting public violence but will serve only three years. Sikhala has been in remand prison since June last year on charges of obstructing justice, inciting violence, and disorderly behaviour.
Muguti criticised the government for using courts to persecute political opponents, claiming that it has reduced Zimbabwe to a circus.
Police were reportedly unaware of the protests.