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Activist Evan Mawarire claims he is being silenced over #ShutDownZim chaos

Pastor Evan Mawarire, leader of the #ThisFlag movement.
Pastor Evan Mawarire, leader of the #ThisFlag movement.
Image: REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

While calm has been restored to much of Zimbabwe following a national shutdown on Monday January 14, well-known activist and pastor Evan Mawarire claims that he is being "silenced" for his opinions about the situation.

Banks, schools and roads remain closed after citizens took to the streets on Monday after president Emmerson Mnangagwa announced massive fuel price hikes, which came into effect at midnight on Sunday January 13.

The hashtag #ShutdownZimbabwe has been on the top trends list on Twitter for a second day running as images continue to flood social media of the chaos that erupted on the first day of the stayaway protests.

Pastor Mawarire claimed on Tuesday that his Twitter account had been shut down and he was able to use the social media service only if he was on a VPN.

Zimbabweans have lashed out at police after day one of the stayaway saw scenes of chaos erupt across the country. The stayaway was called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the largest in the country.

The call by the union followed a televised announcement by Mnangagwa, who said fuel prices would more than double. 

These are some of the shock images that went viral on Monday:


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