(SomaliNet) During the latest in a series of demonstrations over crippling cash withdrawal limits that have rattled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's regime, Zimbabwean riot police on Wednesday beat a group of unarmed protesters and detained a number of trade union leaders. The Zimbabwean police used batons to beat back a group of around 50 protesters that attempted to march on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in central Harare to demand an end to cash restrictions. Over 20 people, including several senior officials of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the body that called the protest, were taken away in police trucks.
The demonstrators carried placards reading "No to cash limits" and "We are tired of sleeping at the banks."
The police action followed a warning by the government that "rogue soldiers" who rioted in central Harare on Monday and had to be subdued by police would be apprehended and "brought to justice."
In the regime's first reaction to an orgy of looting and attacks by soldiers on illegal street currency dealers, it indicated that the unrest was much more widespread in Harare than previously known. Defence Minister Sydney Sekeremayi was quoted in the state-controlled daily Herald as saying that similar incidents "perpetrated by by unruly elements of the defence forces" had occurred in and around the capital four days before Monday's violence.
Sekeremayi has also accused the ZCTU of colluding with the disgruntled officers, who ran amok on Monday, apparently in frustration at having to queue for hours at ATMs to withdraw their salaries.
The incident appears to have shocked the regime, which appeared confident of the loyalty of the army, despite the country's economic meltdown, characterised by world-record inflation, widespread hunger and a severe cholera outbreak.
Nine-figure inflation has made cash extremely short and led banks to impose unrealistically low maximum withdrawal limits. Zimbabweans are increasingly frustrated at having to queue for hours to withdraw less than price of a loaf of bread. The limit has just been increased to 100-million Zimbabwe dollars (about 50 US dollars) a week, from 500 000 Zimbabwe dollars (about 25 US cents).
Also Wednesday, the central bank announced the issue of new 100-million Zimbabwe dollar bank notes, only four months after it slashed 10 zeroes off the previous set of denominations.
Sekeremayi said that over the five days up to Monday, "a number of properties were damaged, innocent people injured, money and property stolen," by off-duty soldiers, the minister said, calling the acts "unacceptable, deplorable, reprehensible and criminal."
But the "vast majority" of defence forces were disciplined and loyal, he assured, vowing to put in place measures to ensure such incidents did not occur again. "Those who may try to incite some members of the uniformed forces to indulge in illegal activities will equally be found culpable," he warned.