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COSATU condemns Zimbabwe arrests
Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
November 18, 2003

The Congress of South African Trade Unions vehemently condemns the arrest of possibly several hundreds of leaders and activists of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and others before and during today's protest action.

The police action began early in the morning when they arrested six ZCTU General Council members at a meeting in a Harare hotel. In other town and cities, arrests started as early as 8 am.

At around 1 pm in Harare, before the planned protest march could begin, heavily armed police descended on the protesters and loaded them in four trucks. Some of them were severely beaten.

Those arrested included the ZCTU top leadership, including the secretary general, Wellington Chibebe, the president, Lovemore Matombo, the vice president, Lucia Matibenga, and several leaders of affiliated unions. COSATU is particularly concerned that Wellington Chibebe has been separated from the rest and is in solitary confinement.

10 people were arrested in Bulawayo including one woman activists who was severely assaulted by the riot police. The riot police broke up the demonstrations by firing tear smoke and indiscriminately beating up people and in the ensuing melee. One ZCTU activist was knocked down by a lorry and is in hospital. The 10 include the ZCTU Regional leadership and they have not been as yet charged.

In Mutare 300 activists were arrested while they prepared to march into town. They are still being held by police. The ZCTU District Chairman was arrested in Gwanda early in the morning and is still being held by police. The District Chairman of Victoria Falls was also arrested for distributing fliers informing people about the ZCTU protest.

COSATU is also concerned that journalists from the independent media and activists from Crisis Zimbabwe, a civil society pressure group, were also arrested, beaten and taken to the Central Police Station. None of the arrested have been charged.

The ZCTU fears that those arrested might be detained overnight and in different police Stations, where they say they cannot rule out the possibility of them being tortured, as many were on the previous ZCTU protest on 8 October.

COSATU has declared its full support for the ZCTU's legitimate protest action to pressure government to reduce taxation ahead of the announcement of the national budget on Thursday. The protest was also against the government's abuse of human and trade union rights, which has been entirely vindicated by today's police action, which illustrates the government's complete lack of any respect for the right to free speech and assembly.

COSATU joins trade union throughout the world in demanding the immediate release of all those detained and the dropping of any charges. These workers were exercising their basic democratic right to demonstrate peacefully. Today's events have underlined the urgency of bringing together all sections of Zimbabwe civil society to negotiate a settlement of the massive political and economic crisis that country now faces. In the meantime there must be an immediate end to the attacks on workers and democratic rights which we have witnessed today.

Patrick Craven Acting COSATU Spokesperson
Tel: 082-821-7456 339-4911
E- mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za
Web: www.cosatu.org.za

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