HARARE – Police have arrested Goromonzi West losing candidate for the 2023 elections Tineyi Munetsi for allegedly participating in an anti-government protest back in 2019.

The incident has been described as an absurdity by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) as the government renews its crackdown on the opposition and rights defenders.

“In Zimbabwe, absurdity has plumbed new depths as authorities arrested Tineyi Munetsi, who contested in the 2023 parliamentary elections and charged him for allegedly participating in an anti-government protest held some 5 years ago,” ZLHR said.

Added the rights group, “Munetsi has since been charged with contravening section 36 of Criminal Code and is being accused of participated in the January 2019 anti-government protests.”

Munetsi, a CCC politician, is represented by Kossam Ncube, a ZLHR member.

The countrywide January 2019 protests, perhaps the most fierce display of citizen anger since President Emmerson Mnangagwa came into power in 2017, were torched by a government decision to hike the price of fuel with ripple effects of the unpopular policy shift also felt in other sectors of the economy.

Rights groups say atleast 17 people were killed as security forces were deployed to hunt down suspected organisers of the protests in their homes during day and night while women and girls were also raped.

Currently, over a hundred activists have either been detained or beaten up in just under two months by the Zanu PF led government.

Crimes range from attending what authorities argue have been illegal gatherings to violence incitement.

Some 78 opposition activists are languishing in remand prison charged with attending an illegal gathering while 60 student activists affiliated to the militant Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) were beaten up two weeks ago at a union meeting in Harare.

The abuses have been extended to several more rights activists and politicians who have been arrested charged with violence incitement ahead of the August 17 SADC Summit.

Crippling protests that have rocked Kenya recently and spread to Nigeria are also believed to be fuelling the tough reaction in Zimbabwe where citizen suffering is equally dire.