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Residents deplore use of torture by police - Residents voice - 21
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA)
June 18, 2010

Bulawayo residents have deplored the continued use of brutality and torture which is still entrenched within the police. Many residents who, at one point have been unlucky to find themselves in the notorious police cells for various reasons have exclaimed that torture is still deeply practiced within the unit and it is no surprise that some civilians have either been hospitalized or left for dead after visiting the cells. Most recent, members of the Professional Drivers Association in Bulawayo were dragged to the cells for allegedly beating a plain clothes police officer at eGodini Kombi rank after he had produced a gun threatening to shoot a tout after he was asked why he was boarding and disembarking from one kombi to another. In retaliation, members of the police from Bulawayo Central Police rounded up drivers who were parked at eGodini the following day and dragged them to the central police where they were treated to ugly brutality of immense torture. The victims were severely beaten before they were undressed where police dogs were let loose to charge on them. Residents said if one finds him/herself in the hands of the notorious police unit, chances of surviving and seeing justice are slim since torture is the emblem and standard of the force. Most of the cases have been taken to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights where they are being handled.

Residents demand prioritization of socio-economic rights

Pelandaba and Mabuthweni residents have demanded that the new constitution guarantee their socio-economic and cultural rights. Residents stated that their rights to shelter and health have been violently misplaced as they continue to languish in borrowed premises. Residents of Mabuthweni have stayed in council house for close to half a century but still they still grope with underdevelopment and overcrowding as the council prohibits them from extending the houses and planting. Residents have said this is a serious blow to the much sought after development as they are not able to even rent the premises or even do projects as this attracts the wrath of the council. Many residents who have been disadvantaged by this set-up have castigated the local authority for its relaxed stance towards empowering its people saying they have stayed in the houses for close to forty years but still they have no papers to show for it. Residents then demanded that ahead of the arrival of the outreach teams, issues of housing must take centre stage as most residents live in fear of being evicted from council premises. Residents echoed these sentiments at a sensitization workshop organized by Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in Pelandaba on Wednesday the 16th of June 2010.

As the outreach process begins . . . expectations from residents

As the constitution making process finally struggles to its feet after many failed attempts, residents in Bulawayo have spoken with urgency and agitation on the need for seriousness on the organ's party. Notwithstanding the fact that the premises on which the organ is built are flawed, residents have said a new people driven constitution is inevitable and there is need for constant check and monitoring so that residents do not get duped and their views misconstrued. Bulawayo residents who have suffered the cost of a centralized system and contested sovereignty like that of Sudan and Kosovo have said the new constitution must disarm and reverse centralization which has been the source of underdevelopment in the region. There is much anticipation and great expectation that with the launch of a new constitution, there are hopes that a new Zimbabwe may be given birth. Issues of dual citizenship, proportional representation, rule of law, respect for minority rights, guaranteeing of essential freedoms and institutional reform in the security sector are expected to be among the topical issues characterizing much of the discussion around consultation. The delayed and protracted launch of the consultations was done on Wednesday and all members of thematic teams are ready for deployment to their respective areas of operation for the next 3 months while will lead to the collation of the views, the referendum thereafter, and the promulgation of the new constitution into law should it be legitimate. Residents have also called down on violence and slammed politicization.

BPRA brings together political parties

Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association shall host a discussion meeting for residents and political parties to discuss priorities for political parties in the new constitution. The meeting shall be held at the backdrop of the recently launched constitution making process and shall focus on the content of constitution making. Speakers in the meeting shall be drawn from the all the political parties active in Bulawayo, the two MDC formations, the two ZAPU formations and ZANU-PF. The meeting shall be in Pumula at Pumula South Hall on Saturday the 19th of June 2010, from 10am to 1pm. It is hoped that the meeting will cushion disparities that are there among political parties with regards to constitutional priorities and to that effect, political parties shall share thoughts and find common ground in which their interests converge. The meeting is a joint partnership between BPRA and Bulawayo Agenda. The discussion meeting is a culmination of the meetings that have been done since enactment of the organ on constitution making.

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