A Zimbabwean court on Thursday denied bail to an opposition politician who had called for protests against alleged state corruption. Jacob Ngarivhume, president of Transform Zimbabwe, a small political party, was arrested on Monday and charged with inciting public violence. He had asked Zimbabweans to protest against corruption and the deteriorating economy on July 31 -- the second anniversary of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's election, which was tainted by fraud accusations. Magistrate Trynos Utahwashe said Ngarivhume would likely "disrupt peace" if he was freed from jail. "From the reading of his allegations it is clear that he is not encouraging the public to conduct a peaceful demonstration," said Utahwashe. "The right to demonstrate is not an absolute one," he said. "There is a written law in Zimbabwe, which limits people to demonstrate, gathering or loitering." Ngarivhume has been remanded in custody until the next hearing on August 6. His lawyer Moses Nkomo told reporters he would appeal. Ngarivhume was arrested on the same day as investigative journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin'ono. The prominent documentary filmmaker had been investigating reported corruption linked to government purchases of coronavirus protection gear and test kits. He was charged with Ngarivhume and awaits a decision on his request for bail. State prosecutors accuse the pair of recklessness for organising a protest in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak. The planned demonstration was effectively banned when Mnangagwa imposed a curfew and reinstated confinement measures on Tuesday to curb the spread of coronavirus. Mnangagwa has been accused of conducting a growing crackdown on dissent since he took office in 2017. Critics say the pandemic is just another excuse for the government to thwart protests and conduct arrests. Meanwhile, Harare mayor and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) member, Herbert Gomba was also arrested this week on allegations involving land scams and abuse of power. He appeared in court on Thursday and a ruling on his request for bail is expected on Friday. MDC senior official Jacob Mafume described the mayor's arrest as "a perpetuation of the injustice against the opposition". str-sch/sn/ach