On Saturday, police in Zimbabwe prevented opposition party leader Nelson Chamisa from holding a rally for supporters of his Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) ahead of by-elections scheduled on March 26.

Despite a ban on protesting thousands of Zimbabwean took to the streets on Saturday. As the riot police looked at the protesters defiantly, the supporters of opposition leader Nelson Chamisa danced.

Ahead of by-elections scheduled on March 26, activists of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) gathered in MARONDERA, a city located seventy km away from Harare.

The Police prevented the opposition party leader from holding a rally.

“We are a party of peace, a party of rule of law. And we don’t want to fight with people so they blocked us from having a rally even when we went to court. I told them it is fine, just give me a chance to tell my supporters that the rally has been stopped”, he told his supporters.

As elections approach and discontent against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s party rises the atmosphere is getting increasingly tense each time an opposition rally is organized.

In late February, an opposition supporter was killed and more than a dozen wounded. The police said the attackers were activists from Zanu-PF, the ruling party.