The Observer Harare, it seems, is under siege. Police have thrown up 24-hour roadblocks on every major thoroughfare entering Zimbabwe's capital, stopping vehicles and searching for weapons. Motorists arrested for minor offences are handcuffed to their vehicles.
Police say it is an exercise to reduce armed crime.
Many say the government is flexing its muscles before next weekend's parliamentary elections. But not all the officers are hostile. Despite the Mugabe regime's blatant use of violence, electoral fraud and misuse of the police force, the impetus for change appears to be unstoppable. An opinion poll released on Friday says the MDC will win 70 of the 120 elected parliamentary seats. The elections are the most important since the 1980 vote which brought majority rule.