Zimbabwe opposition says head office firebombed

By John Cassim

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AA) – Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said late Monday that its headquarters in Harare has been firebombed.

Nkululeko Sibanda, a spokesman for the party’s 40-year-old leader, Nelson Chamisa, confirmed the incident but did not provide further details.

“I am afraid it is true. Our party headquarters, Morgan Tsvangirai House, formerly known as Harvest House, has been set on fire,” he said.

Details are still sketchy as police are still carrying out investigations, Sibanda told Anadolu Agency.

The latest incident comes amid violent protests over a sharp rise in fuel prices announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday night.

His spokesperson, George Charamba, has warned that the government could declare a national emergency that would lead to a curfew.

Riots broke out in Zimbabwe barely two days after Mnangagwa announced the more than 100 percent rise in gasoline and diesel prices in an effort to conserve supplies as the country grapples with severe fuel shortages.

In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest city, the situation was also tense as police engaged in running battles with angry residents.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and like-minded groups have called for a national shutdown to protest the fuel price hikes and the government’s failure to remedy the mounting crisis.

In Harare, with no public transport in sight, commuters were seen braving the rain as they walked back home along roads dotted with rocks and various objects protesters used to block the roads.

Several buses and an airline company have also cancelled trips from South Africa to Zimbabwe.

South African broadcaster SABC also reported that Zimbabweans were crossing the border into South Africa to buy cheaper fuel.