Political reform hopes dim in Zimbabwe

Riot police officers round up vendors as they keep watch outside the Tredgold Building Magistrate court in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, August 19, 2019. [Reuters]

Zimbabwe police deployed in force yesterday to block a street protest for the third time in five days, as the main opposition party said hopes were vanishing that the government might become more tolerant of dissent than the regime it replaced.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected a year ago on a pro-reform ticket, promising a break with the political repression that characterised Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule and an economic upturn.