Thumbnail: Opposition activist Bhekimpilo Mbedzi, imprisoned for political dissent, laments being “caged in terms of time.” His struggle highlights Zimbabwe’s harsh treatment of dissenters and the enduring resilience of voices demanding democratic freedoms.

Profile. Opposition Activist Bhekimpilo Mbedzi: ‘I’m Caged in Terms of Time’

Bhekimpilo Mbedzi (41), the Beitbridge-based human rights defender and opposition activist arrested in July for mobilising against Constitutional Amendment No. 3, is due back at Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court on 28 October for a routine remand hearing. The 31-year-old activist faces a charge of inciting an unlawful gathering after posting a video on Facebook urging Zimbabweans to protest on 31 July against moves to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term to 2030. He was released on bail after two weeks in custody, but the conditions have turned his daily life into a logistical and psychological strain.

“Obviously, the recent arrest has affected me in many ways,” Mbedzi said in an interview. “Though I’m on bail right now, I’m under stringent conditions. One of the conditions is I have to report to the police offices every Monday and Friday. So that means I’m someone who’s caged in terms of time. Those days — all those days — I must be found within the vicinity of Beitbridge. And it’s something which is tiresome. But I am determined to keep fighting for my dream of a better Zimbabwe.”

The geographic restriction effectively traps him in the border town, disrupting his work and limiting his ability to organise or earn a living. Beyond the logistics, the arrest hasn't shaken his conviction.

“There is always frustration of course. I’m someone who is passionate about seeing a different Zimbabwe, and this whole issue affected my dreams,” he said. “Before I got arrested, I wanted to demonstrate, to express ourselves freely, peacefully, to say that we are resisting the 2030 agenda. So now, I’m frustrated.

“But as you know, I am committed to this journey, to this thinking, to this conviction, for a reason, and knowing that I might face challenges. So I’m still holding on, and I’m still pushing on, patiently and fearlessly.”

The trauma extends to his household. “So actually, You know, if I’m not at home for about three hours, four hours — maybe I’ve just gone somewhere — phone calls will be ringing: ‘Where are you? What are you doing?’ So that one is on. It means there is some fear even within my family. They are afraid that any time I could be killed, or I can just be taken away.”

Rights groups, including Veritas, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Amnesty International, have called the charges a misuse of the law to silence dissent. Mbedzi’s next court appearance on 28 October will determine whether the State proceeds to trial or seeks further remand. Until then, the Monday-and-Friday reporting ritual continues — a schedule he describes not as justice, but as a shift he never applied for.