Zimbabwean member of parliament, Trevor JI Saruwaka was denied entry into his work place because his outfit supposedly flouted house rules. The lawmaker turned up to work dressed in a multicolour suit after the colours of the national flag. There’s more to the story however. In recent times, anti-government members in politics, media and the mass populace have adopted the #ThisFlag campaign as a form of protest against president Mugabe’s party, Zanu-PF which has ruled the country for decades.
The government hit back by reviving legislation that makes it a crime to “abuse” the national flag.
As lawyers have pointed out, it’s been left up to the government to define what constitutes abuse. Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo said in a tweet that Saruwaka being denied entry “was for being inappropriately dressed. Even bush lawyers & fools know that Parliament has a dress code. It’s in the standing orders!”
