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Crisis in Zimbabwe holds a briefing meeting in Masvingo
Crisis
in Zimbabwe Coalition
March 23, 2011
Crisis in Zimbabwe
Coalition held a civil society briefing with a cross section of
the Masvingo civic society representatives. 42 people attended with
20 being women and 22 men. Attendants also included the Deputy Mayor
if Masvingo and 6 councillors. Organisations represented were ZIMRIGHTS,
Women's
Coalition, Masvingo City Council, ZPP,
MDC, ZINASU,
ZIMCET,
NANGO
and PTUZ.
The meeting was aimed at interrogating the issues of political violence
and continuous arrests of human rights defenders and opposition
activists in Masvingo province. The meeting also sought to come
up with a coordinated CSO response to political violence and opening
up democratic space before elections.
Participants
noted that there was growing concern around the province over Jabulani
Sibanda's terror campaign which was said to have spread throughout
the whole province. Civic in Masvingo also hailed the Coalition
for its Anti-Violence Campaign as well as its ABASHA POSA
campaign which were reviewed as a clear and direct way of dealing
with these injustices. The Coalition's youth committee chairperson
Thulani Mswelanto also addressed members on initiatives by his organisation
bent on combating violence by engaging district leaders of the three
main political parties.
Participants
concurred that Chivi, Gutu and Zaka were the province's main
hotpots where people are constantly living in fear of being arrested
because of political affiliation. They went on to name the M.P and
Senator responsible for this outrageous campaign as Hon Trainos
Hungwe and Senator Josiah Hungwe respectively. Participants recommended
that:
- The Coalition
pursues at a large scale its naming and shaming campaign.
- The Coalition
reactivates the networking diary so as to serve as a nerve centre
for CSOs.
- The Coalition
engages the parliamentary portfolio committee on home affairs
on the issue of individual security of persons regardless of political
affiliation.
- The Coalition
puts in place an initiative to engage Chiefs in and around the
province on issues of political violence as they prove to be influential
in society.
- Members
inform each other on running or prospective programmes in the
hotspots so that a coordinated approach is put in place.
- Members
confront known perpetrators such as Jabulani Sibanda by attending
their meetings and ridiculing.
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in Zimbabwe fact
sheet
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