Press Release

Friday, May 9, 2008

Contact: Joia Jefferson Nuri

Cell 240-603-7905  jnuri@transafricaforum.org

TRANSAFRICA FORUM CALLS FOR THE

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ZCTU LEADERS

TransAfrica Forum calls on the Government of Zimbabwe to immediately release jailed leaders of the Zimbabwe Coalition of Trade Unions, Lovemore Matombo and Secretary General Wellington Chibebe.  The two were arrested on May 8 and charged with allegations of "inciting people to rise against the government," following speeches made during a May Day rally.

According to published reports the two were interrogated for more than six hours after “presenting themselves to the police” on May 8, following a police search of their homes.  

“This is an outrageous abuse of power,” states Nicole Lee, TransAfrica Forum Executive Director.  Lee continues, “The ability to assembly and protest are fundamental rights, which have been abridged for sometime in Zimbabwe.  The arrest of leaders who call for reform is meant to send a chilling effect throughout the country to anyone who dissents from the Mugabe government’s course of action.” 

Court documents that could have led to the release of the leaders have not been prepared. This is a deliberate strategy to keep the two in custody.  According to a ZCTU press release: 

“Zimbabwean police are in the habit of detaining political and civil rights activists over the weekend before they are taken to court the next week. The weekend detentions are usually aimed at breaking down the activists, who are usually exposed to extreme inhuman conditions while in police custody.”

The arrest of the two labor leaders follows reports of escalating violence and repression of opposition supporters, including the arrest of Davison Manuziva, editor of the independent newspaper The Standard.

The New York Times reports that Manuziva was jailed for printing an opinion article by an opposition party leader. 

“These arrests provide additional evidence of a systematic government crackdown on any forms of dissent,” commented Imani Countess, TransAfrica Forum's Senior Director for Public Affairs, who participated in an unofficial observer mission for the country's election.  “ZCTU staff and other members of civil society told us when we were in the country that ZANU-PF would never cede power regardless of the election results.  The fact that activists in Zimbabwe continue press for their rights is a testament of their incredible courage in the of face brutal repression,” says Countess.

“The current situation requires an immediate and unequivocal response from Zimbabwe's neighbors and from the African Union,” stresses Nicole Lee.  “The options are many: run-off conducted in a secure environment or a transitional arrangement, similar to South Africa’s own transition from apartheid.  The people of Zimbabwe, working with their neighbors will identify the most appropriate strategy.  We simply urge them to do so quickly, in order to end the violent attack on people and property,” Lee concludes.

Background:

The ZCTU has been an important critic of the government since the early 1990's when it questioned Mugabe’s adoption of the IMF/World Bank’s, now largely discredited, structural adjustment program.  In 1999 ZCTU activism led to the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change, which has emerged as the country's main opposition party.  Former ZCTU General Secretary, Morgan T., became MDC's leader.

At present, Zimbabwe is at a critical juncture.  The results from the presidential vote were announced on May 2, 2008, a month after the elections.  They show Morgan Tsvangirai in the lead with 47.9 percent, Robert Mugabe with 43.2 percent, and Simba Makoni with 8.3 percent.  The election law requires a run-off between the leading candidates within 21 days. A ZANU-PF spokesperson has said that if MDC boycotts the runoff

then President Mugabe will retain control of the government.     

During the month-long delay in releasing the election results, reports of harassment, intimidation, and brutal assaults on independent election observers and supporters of the opposition increase daily.  On May 3 the MDC announced the murders of 20 MDC supporters.  On May 4, the South African-based Cape Argus newspaper reported:  "There are now 7,000 casualties of the rapidly worsening violence in Zimbabwe as the military's campaign against the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition party [heats] up, according to doctors treating the injured." The article states further that a 14-month old child was admitted to a Harare hospital after having been beaten unconscious on her mother's back "in an attack by ZANU-PF youths and men."

In addition, stories of worsening food insecurity and a dramatic rise in refugees crossing Zimbabwe's borders into Mozambique, Botswana, and South Africa also mount.  Independent observers and media report that one formal refugee camp (Dukwe Refugee Camp near the Namibian border) in Botswana for Zimbabweans fleeing the economic crisis is growing and new informal camps are springing up.    Morgan Tsvangirai has be granted

temporary asylum in Botswana after receiving threats from the security forces in Zimbabwe.

News stories and analysis from the Washington, D.C.-based Washington Post newspaper, as well Southern African media, assert that security actors have become the primary decision makers in Zimbabwe.   

For schedule interviews, contact Joia Jefferson Nuri, cell 240-603-7905, jnuri@transafricaforum.org