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This article participates on the following special index pages:
NGO Bill - Index of Opinion and Analysis
WOZA
walk and protest at Parliament - review of articles and photographs
Women of
Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
last updated October 28, 2004
View
more photographs from the Walk, View
photographs from Parliament protest
Physiotherapy brings relief to tired feet
| Date |
Title |
| 14/10/2004 |
Court
sets free women activists as police fail to turn up |
| 05/10/2004 |
Parliament
Adjourns as WOZA Members arrested -
CHRA |
| 05/10/2004 |
Photographers
arrested - MISA Zimbabwe |
| 05/10/2004 |
Women
arrested for protesting against rights curbs - SAPA-AFP |
| 04/10/2004 |
WOZA
present petition to Parliament - WOZA |
| 04/10/2004 |
WOZA
reviews last days of Bulawayo-Harare walk - WOZA |
| 02/10/2004 |
WOZA's
long walk to freedom - Daniel Molokela |
| 30/09/2004 |
More
Passion. More Fire. - Amanda Atwood |
| 30/09/2004 |
Where
were you? - Bev Reeler |
| 30/09/2004 |
Seven
more women protesters arrested in Harare - ZimOnline |
| 29/09/2004 |
Women
protesters held in Zimbabwe - Mail & Guardian |
| 22/09/2004 |
Women
march against the NGO Bill - IRIN |
| 21/09/2004 |
WOZA
women take to the road in protest - Sokwanele |
| 20/09/2004 |
WOZA
walk update - WOZA |
Summary
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members on Sun 19 Sept 2004 embarked
upon a 440-kilometer walk from Bulawayo to Harare to protest the
NGO Bill. They hoped to raise awareness of the implications of the
NGO Bill for the people of Zimbabwe. They also intended to raise
money to assist activists likely to lose employment through the
crackdown on organisations once the NGO Bill is forced through parliament.
The majority
of the WOZA women were arrested on Tue Sept 28 in Chegutu and at
Selous less than 100 kilometres from Harare. They were finally released
in the morning on Fri October 01 without charge.
Jenni Williams,
a member of the group not present when the majority were arrested,
continued the walk to Harare alone at 5am on Wed Sept 29. She was
joined by 6-7 women as she entered the Harare city limits and the
small group made their way to their destination at Africa Unity
Square in the capital's city centre. They formed a circle and prayed
together before moving off to a nearby food court to buy food and
drink. Police chose this moment to arrest all the women and a 4
month old baby being carried by her mother.
On Fri Oct 01
the Attorney General's office declined to prosecute the women held
in Harare. Despite this, the police at Harare Central Police Station
refused to release the women and baby and so on Friday afternoon
the women's lawyer sought an urgent hearing from High Court Justice
Rita Makarau to compel the police to release them.
In a shocking
turn of events, despite the injustice of holding the women for even
a minute longer, Justice Makarau saw fit to delay the hearing of
the urgent application until Mon Oct 04 at 11.15am.
In a further
turn of events, late in the afternoon the police called the lawyer
back to Harare Central Police Station to discuss the potential release
of the women. By about 6pm all of the women in custody were released.
This is a blatant example of the mental torture that the police
subject innocent Zimbabweans to. Their inhumane methods fall well
outside of their mandate and the provisions of the laws and constitutional
provisions of Zimbabwe. These women are required to
Visit the Women
of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) fact
sheet
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