MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said that the government must pay businesses for damages they suffered during the January protests.
Mwonzora was responding to utterances made by ZANU PF politburo member Absolom Sikhosana who had said that the MDC and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions should pay since they organised the riots. In response Mwonzora said:
The MDC did not organise the stay-away at all; it was organised by other people and members of the public, including members of the MDC, heeded the call. Even Zanu PF members were part of the protesters.
Blaming the MDC is mere cheap propaganda. People were outraged by the government’s inept handling of the doctors’ strike; they were outraged by the president’s announcement of fuel price hikes. The fault lies with the government.
The government should also pay for the business lost as a result of disconnection of the Internet because that act was unlawful; it was found by the court as unlawful. People lost business because of the government’s actions. They are not a serious government. They are horribly inward looking and they always seek to blame someone even for their own ineptitude.
The January riots were sparked by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s announcement that fuel prices had been hiked by 150 per cent. The protests resulted in the death of 17 civilians who were allegedly shot and killed by security forces.
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