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Civic bodies throw down the gauntlet
Foster Dongozi, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
July 23, 2006

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=4146

SECTIONS of civic society who are impatient with President Robert Mugabe's administration are likely to steal the thunder from the bickering political opposition.

On Wednesday, the increasingly militant Combined Harare Residents' Association (CHRA) led disgruntled residents in a march to register their displeasure with the way the capital is being run.

Nearly 20 Harare residents, including two journalists, were arrested by heavily armed anti-riot police and detained overnight at the Harare Central cells.

Precious Shumba, the spokesman for CHRA, in an interview with The Standard said: "Our position is that POSA (the Public Order and Security Act) is a law of the illegitimate (government). We don't see how we should submit to a law that governs how we express our anger or happiness. We will not follow such laws."

Human rights lawyer, Jacob Mafume, said the defiance being exhibited by some sections of civic society was an indication that Zimbabweans were tired of dictatorship and ready to free themselves.

"The anger being shown by some Zimbabweans is indicative of the rising discontent with the repressive regime that the people are living under. These are indications that there is a new determination by the people to assert themselves under a system that has continued to erode their basic rights and freedoms," Mafume said.

He said the government was likely to unleash even more violence against its citizens in order to protect the selfish interests of a small ruling elite.

"As Zimbabweans continue to defy the establishment due to their new-found energy, the government is going to increase its repressive tendencies against the citizens. However, while this happens, the government is going to create a façade of happiness to the outside world through propaganda campaigns of portraying the situation in the country as normal."

The government media has so far ignored the arrest of the journalists and CHRA members.

Other organisations that have ignored the stringent requirements of POSA are the Zimbabwe National Students' Union (Zinasu) whose members are suspected of recently setting fire to a computer laboratory at Bindura University.

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) have largely ignored POSA and gone to the streets to express their outrage.

NCA chairman, Lovemore Madhuku, said he was happy with the spirit of defiance.

"The NCA is the only organisation that I know which has been holding demonstrations without informing the police. We are happy that the strategy is being adopted by a lot of civic organisations and we see that as a growth in confidence."

Madhuku said unplanned demonstrations would stretch and strain the police.

"We know them. They are very weak. They cannot deal with nationwide demonstrations. The regime will become more repressive initially but they cannot put everybody in jail."

A recent Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Report on Home Affairs painted a grim picture on police operations including staff and equipment shortages. Low morale and staff and ordinance shortages would have a bearing on the police's ability to deal with nationwide demonstrations.

Even the much feared and hated Public Order and Security Act (POSA) which had cowed the opposition and civic society into submission is now being largely ignored and ridiculed by civic society and the opposition.

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