|
Back to Index
ZCTU,
WOZA plan anti-Gono demos
Ndamu
Sandu, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
January 13, 2008
http://allafrica.com/stories/200801140518.html
The Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and the Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are planning demonstrations against
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe over the current cash crunch.
WOZA said it planned
to stage a series of demonstrations over the crisis which has spilled
into its third month.
WOZA's president Jenni
Williams said she was consulting her constituency on when to hold
the demonstrations.
"We are extremely
unhappy with the incompetence of Gideon Gono and we are mulling
some demonstrations," she said.
Gono, the governor of
the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is blamed for the current cash
shortages. He has claimed the cash problems would soon be over following
the launch of Sunrise 11.
Lovemore Matombo, the
ZCTU president told The Standard last week the cash crisis would
feature prominently when the labour movement holds a crucial indaba
on Thursday.
The meeting will be attended
by the presidents and secretary generals of each of the 36 ZCTU
affiliates.
"We are meeting
as leaders of unions on 17 January. Major issues concerning us,
as well as the cash crisis will be discussed," said Matombo.
But sources last week
said the ZCTU was likely to stage a demonstration capitalising on
the anger among ordinary people over the acute disruption of their
lives wrought by the cash crisis. Many have spent days in queues
but still failed to get the much-needed cash.
Matombo said the ZCTU
wrote to Gono before the Christmas holiday to tell him that the
cash crisis was not only hurting the economy, but was affecting
households as people were spending hours in bank queues.
Matombo said the ZCTU
had still not received a response from Gono.
"At the meeting,
there shall be a resolution on whether it helps for us to see him
(Gono)," Matombo said.
Despite the introduction
of three new bearer cheques - $250 000, $500
000 and $750 000 and the extension of the life of - $200 000 bearer
notes, which would have been demonetized 31 December, banking queues
are still evident.
The situation is likely
to get worse this week when schools open and civil servants begin
accessing their January advance salaries.
Analysts say Gono will
be the casualty of the cash crunch as Zanu PF scrounges for votes
ahead of the synchronized March elections.
Gono enjoys President
Robert Mugabe's backing but with diehard members of the party baying
for his blood, the cash crisis has provided them with a huge opportunity
to oust him, analysts say.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
