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ZIMBABWE:
Police stymie nationwide protests
IRIN News
September 13, 2006
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=55550
HARARE, - Police
foiled a nationwide
anti-government protest by the country's largest labour federation
when they arrested union, civic society and opposition party leaders,
among others.
A Zimbabwe Congress
of Trade Unions (ZCTU) spokesman in the capital, Harare, told
IRIN that at least 500 people were taken into custody after protests
were staged in 34 urban centres nationwide, including the capital
and the second city, Bulawayo.
"We hear most of our leadership, including [secretary-general] Wellington
Chibhebhe and [president] Lovemore Matombo have been arrested, together
with others," said ZCTU regional spokesperson Percy Mcijo.
The authorities had warned the demonstrations were declared illegal
and would be stopped. About 2,000 uniformed and plainclothes police
were deployed on the capital's streets. An IRIN correspondent witnessed
armed police severely beating demonstrators with batons after they
had been ordered to sit down in the road at the starting point of
the Harare protest.
Among other leaders arrested were Lucia Matibenga, a ZCTU vice-president
and women's affairs chairperson of the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change (MDC) party, prominent MDC members Grace Kwinje and Ian Makoni,
and the leader of the teachers' union, Raymond Majongwe. Mike Suburi,
a correspondent with the Reuters news service, was also detained.
Alec Muchadehama, the lawyer representing those arrested, said police
refused to say what, if any, charges had been laid against his clients.
The National Students Union, which is also planning protests against
escalating tuition fees, said in a statement, "We are disappointed
to note that government is prepared to kill people in order to silence
their sombre cries from hunger and starvation, emanating from meagre
salaries that do not meet the poverty datum line."
There were no reports of any fatalities during the protests.
ZCTU's demands include a living wage for workers, access to antiretroviral
(ARV) treatment for HIV-positive people, and that police immediately
stop the "harassment of informal economy workers".
Zimbabwe is experiencing an economic meltdown, with unemployment
in excess of 70 percent and inflation hovering at 1,000 percent
annually.
In Harare the protesters had planned to petition the Employers Confederation
of Zimbabwe, as well as the labour and finance ministries, while
in other centres they were to march to their respective labour relations
offices.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena told IRIN that they had arrested
at least 15 workers in Harare, and at least the same number in Bulawayo.
"We made an early warning that the demonstrations were illegal,
and that workers should not be part of them. But some thought they
could outplay the police," he said.
Economic analyst Eric Block said besides the heavy police presence
that deterred many from taking part, "many people are self-employed,
and it is difficult for such people to demonstrate because they
fear they will lose out on business, even if the demos are just
for a few minutes - every penny counts to them. It's like they are
their own employers, so they have no one to demonstrate against."
The National Constitutional
Assembly (NCA), a group of civic and nongovernmental organisations,
"unreservedly" condemned the mass arrests, and said it would be
"staging massive demonstrations across Zimbabwe in the coming week"
in retaliation. It accused the government of "acts of intimidation
and primitive repression".
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