Armed men kidnapped a security guard and torched a conference room at a Harare venue late on Monday, hours before activists planned to oppose extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rule. Attackers also firebombed Gilbert Mbwende's house in Highfield township around the same time.
Police blocked the Tuesday morning event at both the Harare site and a simultaneous gathering in Bulawayo, where opposition figures Job Sikhala, Tendai Biti, and Sibangilizwe Nkomo were scheduled to speak. Organizers worked to relocate the Constitutional Crossroads conference after finding locked gates and burned facilities.
Opposition leader Tendai Biti called the incidents desperate terrorism aimed at stopping lawful constitutional defense. The proposed changes would let Mnangagwa remain president until age 88 rather than step down in 2028 as required.
The plan has split the ruling party because it would postpone Vice President Constantino Chiwenga's presidential prospects.
Police blocked the Tuesday morning event at both the Harare site and a simultaneous gathering in Bulawayo, where opposition figures Job Sikhala, Tendai Biti, and Sibangilizwe Nkomo were scheduled to speak. Organizers worked to relocate the Constitutional Crossroads conference after finding locked gates and burned facilities.
Opposition leader Tendai Biti called the incidents desperate terrorism aimed at stopping lawful constitutional defense. The proposed changes would let Mnangagwa remain president until age 88 rather than step down in 2028 as required.
The plan has split the ruling party because it would postpone Vice President Constantino Chiwenga's presidential prospects.
