South Africa’s main opposition parties Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have called on their government to intervene in the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
The calls comes as Zimbabweans living in South Africa protested at their Pretoria Embassy on Wednesday.
Demonstrations which began on Monday in the capital Harare and second city Bulawayo following government’s decision to more than doubled fuel prices turned deadly after five people including a police officer were killed.
Streets in major cities have been deserted and businesses and schools remain closed on the third day of the unions’ called stay-at-home strike. The government also shut down the internet.
Hundreds of people including prominent Harare pastor and political activist Evan Mawarire, of the #ThisFlag fame to encourage Zimbabweans to speak out against Mugabe policies, have been arrested as the country faces the worst economic crisis in a decade.
The African Union and the regional bloc Southern African Development Community (SADC) are yet to issue statements on the Zimbabwe protests with President Emmerson Mnangagwa away on a five-nation foreign tour.
