A national protest, which meant put pressure on Zimbabwe President Emerson Mnangavaga to resign, became an exclusion, as citizens decided to stay away and not to go out against the background of a heavy security presence.
Only a handful of protesters participated in the planned March, headed by a group of disgruntled war veterans who accused Manngaga of corruption and wanted to cling to power and they were scattered by police.
Following the low turnout reports, the protest leader blessed Geza called on Zimbabweis “not to be cowards” in the publication of X.
Mnangagwa became president in 2017 after a coup against longtime leader Robert Mugabe and is currently serving his second and last term.
Geza, who wants Vice President Konstantin Chivenga to replace Mnangagwa, had previously called on Zimbabweans to “fill the streets” in the last impetus to force the president to withdraw.
Numerous videos have been shared on social media throughout the day and in one, the police can be seen with the help of Teargas to scatter a crowd gathered at President Robert Mugabe's square in Harare.
In another woman, she describes in detail the efforts of the police to press herself to what was considered a “peaceful protest” as she swore “we don't go anywhere, we will stay here.”
“I'm 63 and life is difficult … I care for my grandchildren because my children can't afford,” said the protester of crutches on the voice network of local media houses.
“We want General (Constantine) Chiwenga to take,” she added.
The Vice President did not publicly comment on his calls to replace Mnangagwa, and government officials deny that there is a gap between the two men.
Responding to the low turnout on Monday, Farai Murapira of the Zanu-Pf ruling party said social media was not a reflection of reality.
However, the political scientist IBBO Mandase said that those who ignore turnout are wrong.
“The exclusion was a huge political statement,” he said.
In different cities, the bigger part of the business was closed and the streets were left emptied by the usual bustle of street sellers and suffocating traffic. The schools closed and public transport was scarce as the scary residents chose to get rid of chaos.
Police tighten security by installing obstacles in Harare and making patrols on foot and trucks in the city center throughout the day. They were also seen to remove the stones and the cement blocks thrown by the protesters.
Since then, the clergy of the country has called for cool heads, as it warns that the excitement can destabilize a fragile side.
A gas station employee told the BBC in a muffled voice that ordinary people did not want the country to slide into a civil war.
At the heart of the recent protest is the president's plan to extend his final term by two years to 2030. The second term of Mnangagwa expires in 2028.
The slogan “2030 will still be the leader” is shared by his supporters, although the Zimbabwe Constitution restricts presidential conditions to two five -year terms.
Despite the recent confidence from the president that he intends to withdraw in three years, many remain unconvinated.
This angered Geza, a veteran of the war of the 1970s, and a former Senior Member of the Zanu-PF, which runs a verbal attack on Mnangagwa.
In a series of frequently loaded press conferences with explicative, granular voice and frowning, he repeatedly calls on the 82-year-old president to go or stand against removal.