Mnangagwa urged to ignore courts and immediately release activists?

Zimbabwe should immediately release over 100 pro-democracy activists arrested in the run-up to Saturday's SADC summit in Harare, the United Nations rights office said on Wednesday.

The call came as former Citizens Coalition for Change senator Jameson Timba and over 70 other activists arrested on June 16 notched 60 days in pre-trial detention, accused of holding an illegal gathering.

Dozens of other activists and trade union leaders including Jacob Ngarivhume, the leader of the opposition Transform Zimbabwe, have also been rounded up accused of public order offences, some dating five years back.

"We are concerned by reports of arrests, harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and political activists in the lead up to the SADC summit," the UN Human Rights Commission said in a statement.

"We call for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained and protection of civic space."

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's rivals accuse him of launching the crackdown to thwart planned protests during the annual summit of 16 regional states.

Zimbabwe is assuming the rotating chairmanship of SADC from Angola. Sections of Harare have witnessed fevered activity as the government spruces up roads and upgrades hotel facilities in preparation for the summit, whose run-up began with smaller ministerial events on August 7.

The Democratic Alliance, a ruling coalition partner in South Africa, has urged SADC to switch the venue of the summit in protests at the crackdown. SADC appears unlikely to accede to the request, leaving it to individual regional leaders to decide if they want to attend.