Thousands of people in Harare were forced to join the Zanu PF Million Men March from the party’s Headquarters in the city centre to Zimbabwe Grounds in Highfield in support of President Robert Mugabe’s candidature for next year’s presidential election.

The police last night sent warning message that anyone who refused to join the march would face the music.

Residents from the mentioned suburbs did not go to the party’s HQ but began their marches to Highfield from the respective areas.

Armed police and soldiers patrolled Highfield during the night while nightclubs were forced to close early and people were told to go home and prepare for the march.

Hundreds of informal traders and those in small-scale enterprises from around the capital were ordered to close their businesses and join the march

Small scale businesses operating from factory shells in Highfield, Glen View Siya-So in Mbare, vendors and youth were told to turn up for the march or risk being banned from operating their stalls. 

The police and army have been roped in the march to make sure that many people are forced in.

All roads leading to Zimbabwe grounds were blocked and motorists had to take the longest routes to the city centre despite of the prevailing massive fuel shortages.

During the week, thousands of Zanu PF supporters were bussed from centres across Zimbabwe to join the March.

Reports from various centres indicate that people were also forced to board buses trains and lorries for the march.

Minister of Transport and Energy Chris Mushowe commandeered the National Railways of Zimbabwe to provide enough carriage wagons of trains to ferry people to Harare from other towns.

Public transport utility ZUPCO has also been ordered to provide buses.

Desperate to fool the world that it still has great support in the country, the ruling party has been using war veterans to stage marches around the country’s provinces ahead of the million march edition.

Most people in the march came from outside Harare and we have been informed that most of them slept in buses and trains, as the party had not offered accomodation to the people who are believed to have gone on the march on empty stomachs.

Zimbabwe Grounds is the place where Mugabe made his debut speech after the independence of the country.

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