By Fanuel Chinowaita
Harare, 28 February 2026 –The Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) has taken legal action against the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) after authorities barred its scheduled launch meeting in Harare, citing alleged non-compliance with the law.
At the centre of the dispute is the constitutional right to freedom of assembly and association, which CDF argues has been infringed.
In a letter dated 27 February 2026, Chief Superintendent M. Masvivi, Officer Commanding Police Regulating Authority for Harare Central District, formally rejected CDF’s notification to hold a meeting at the Harare Showgrounds from 0900 to 1400 hours on 28 February.
“Your notification is not in compliance with the provisions of Section 7 of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act Chapter 11:23 therefore the meeting is not sanctioned,” reads part of the letter.
The decision followed a series of communications between CDF and police authorities. Initially, CDF had notified police on 24 February of its intention to hold the launch at the Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau in Hillside.
On 25 February, Chief Superintendent C. Mugurameno, Officer Commanding Harare Suburban District, responded advising the organisation to relocate the meeting.
“Due to the prevailing security situation you are advised to seek for an alternative venue to hold your intended meeting,” Mugurameno wrote, without elaborating on the specific security concerns.
CDF subsequently secured a hall at the Harare Showgrounds and submitted fresh notification on 26 February.
However, the police maintained that the revised notice did not meet requirements under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA).
CDF says it complied with every directive issued by police and describes the last-minute rejection as arbitrary and unconstitutional.
“This sequence of events raises serious questions about consistency, fairness and administrative good faith,” the organisation said in a statement issued on 27 February.
“CDF complied with every communication from the police. We adjusted venues as directed. We engaged transparently. Yet, despite these efforts, our launch has been blocked at the eleventh hour.”
The forum further argued that the Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly and association and that such rights “cannot be subjected to selective or shifting administrative standards.”
“This development cannot be viewed in isolation,” CDF added. “At the same time that civic actors are denied clearance, political gatherings aligned to the ruling establishment continue unhindered. The growing pattern is worrisome.”
CDF representatives Gilbert Bgwende and Morgen Ncube were summoned to the Law and Order Section on 27 February, where they were handed the letter formally declining the meeting.
The organisation has since filed an urgent court application challenging the police decision and says it has “full confidence that the judiciary will objectively determine the legality of this decision.”
While the launch has been postponed to next week, CDF insists its constitutional advocacy programme will proceed.
“The defence of the Constitution is a lawful cause. It will proceed within the confines of the law and it will not be deterred,” the statement concludes.
ZRP had not responded to further requests for comment at the time of publication.