The government has issued a warning against any demonstrations that will endanger peace in the country.
The warning follows messaging circulating on social media, calling for people to protest this Thursday against the economic hardships prevailing in the country.
Speaking to the national broadcaster, ZBCtv on Wednesday night, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa said:
The right does not extend to forcing others to partake in activities against their wishes as well as disrupting them from going about their business.
The government has an obligation to protect all citizens including those who wish to carry on their daily lives undisturbed.
We, therefore, wish to assure the public that the security services will be ready to fulfil their constitutional mandate to maintain law and order as well as protect lives and property from insurgent behaviour.
Mutsvangwa told the nation that the government is aware of the suffering of the citizens and blamed the past administration for gross mismanagement. She added:
The government understands and empathises with the current hardships experienced by the people.
We are therefore putting in place safety nets to protect the vulnerable from the pain of the necessary reform we have to undergo.
The President and the Government are fully aware of the many challenges facing our economy. They arise from decades of gross mismanagement.
Mutsvangwa went on to say that the current hardships are a passing phase and that the pain is a part and parcel of the ongoing efforts in transforming the economy.