Riot police prevent play in Zimbabwe

The political crisis in Zimbabwe spares no sphere of everyday life. On Sunday, domestic cricket came face-to-face with the madding political air prevailing in the country when three league matches failed to take place due to a police-imposed curfew and stringent ban on political gatherings in Harare.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the hugely popular leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, had planned to address thousands of followers at the historic Zimbabwe Grounds, located in the volatile black township of Highfield, in defiance of the legally-challenged, controversial police order. Zimbabwe Grounds, a cradle of the country's liberation movements in the later 1970s and early 1980s, is adjacent tp the Takashinga Cricket Club, where Zimbabwe's National League champions, Takashinga, are based.

They were scheduled to host Mabvuku in the Vigne Cup, the country's oldest domestic cricket competition. Social soccer fields at the Zimbabwe Grounds, which are normally a hive of activities on Sundays, were also under heavy police guard.

Heavily-armed riot police manned the residential areas surrounding the ground, making any action impossible. By Sunday night, unconfirmed reports said three civilians had been shot dead by the dreaded riot police, notorious for mercilessly quashing any opposition to President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) government.

Operators withdrew public transport in and out of the suburb, with normal life becoming idle as residents feared for their lives. The locals understandably retreated to their homes in reminisce on the police viciousness the last time MDC held a rally in the area. Shops and other businesses were closed and church services cancelled as police lurked in the vicinity, ready to unleash terror on demonstrators and residents they came across.

Takashinga's first and third sides, who were supposed to play away, were not able leave Highfield to fulfill their fixtures. Club members locked themselves in the bar the whole day.

Highfield, a political hotbed of Harare, is a poor but significant residential district famous for instigating popular resistances against oppressive regimes. Despite being undermined, Highfield is also a recognised talent-hub in sports and socio-economic fields. Such well-known cricketers as Tatenda Taibu, Prosper Utseya, Hamilton Masakadza, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chamu Chibhabha, amongst others, hail from Highfield where they began their careers.