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Women declare a victory for WOZA's tough love Insiza
Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)
June 19, 2006

Members of WOZA in Insiza declare their victory for tough love

Police hurriedly took the 109 women to Filabusi Magistrates court at 16:30 pm. They were being charged under the Miscellaneous Offices Act (MOA) Section 7 - conduct likely to disturb the peace. Law and Order police officers had driven about 80 kilometres from Gwanda to ensure that the women were charged. The prosecutor at Filabusi advised them however to release the women as they had no case. All the women were released, including an extra 18 who had handed themselves over to police in solidarity. Many of the members will have to walk over 50 kilometres home as by 5pm there would be no transport to take them home.

The members spent most of the day sitting in the sun at Filabusi Police Station calmly awaiting their fate. Lawyers were on the scene and were able to ensure a speedy processing for court. Andrew Langa, MP for Insiza, drove past the procession in the morning and stooped low enough to insult the women, asking them "if their husbands had not performed well the night before to bring them out into the street". He spent most of the day monitoring the police station and at one point went into the station and further insulted the women. They replied telling him that he should rather concentrate on lowering the school fees than on insulting them.

Mugabe was just in Insiza at Silalatshani Irrigation scheme to show off about a bumper harvest grown by soldiers who appropriated the irrigation scheme. Some members of WOZA are former beneficiaries of the irrigation scheme. They were chased away some months ago by soldiers.

BULAWAYO WOZA marks World Refugee Day - 20th June. The UN theme this year is 'Keeping the Flame of Hope Alive'. WOZA is marking this day because we are refugees in our own country. Our lives have been stolen but the flame of hope still burns. We demand the right to earn a living.

OVER A THOUSAND WOZA members, both female and male, marched through the streets of Bulawayo this afternoon at 15:30pm. They started their peaceful procession with a five minute Toyi Toyi at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) offices, protesting at the constant power cuts. They then proceeded to the Department of Social Welfare offices along Fort Street where they left placards and newsletters for Nicholas Goche, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare and National Security, before dispersing peacefully.

Some police officers drove by monitoring unobtrusively and eventually went away. There have been no reports of arrests to date in Bulawayo. WOZA would like to thank the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for joining in the protest by refusing to be used by the Mugabe regime and accepting that they are also refugees in their own country. WOZA recognise that it was a combination of both inactivity by police officers and strategy. Another contributing factor to the lack of arrests in Bulawayo was the fact that the protest started at ZESA and there are very few Zimbabweans who do not agree that the electricity cuts are now unbearable.

During the last two World Refugee Days in 2004 and 2005, over 200 members were arrested. Over 151 were arrested for protesting against skyrocketing school fees 4 May and were released without charge after five days in custody.

A Tale of Two Schools Following WOZA's protests at schools a few weeks ago, some interesting information has come to light about how different schools reacted to the pressure.

Mahlabezulu School, Tshabalala, Bulawayo We had already reported that following the WOZA protest at this school a few weeks ago, administration staff had a mother arrested the following day when she tried to pay her school fees whilst wearing her WOZA scarf. She was assaulted by police and had her home illegally searched although she could provide proof that she had not been at the demonstration. She was later released from custody after being made to sign a warn and cautioned statement.

As if that was not enough, the headmistress is alleged to have summoned her child to take a message home that there should be no further mention of the school in the newspapers or the school "will take appropriate measures" against the mother. There had been an article in The Zimbabwean newspaper on the incident.

Glen View School, Glen View, Harare On the other hand, some good news from Harare. Following the WOZA protests at schools in Glen View, police apparently arrested the Headmaster of Glen View School, asking him why he had increased the school fees!

During the protest, parents also demanded to know what had happened to the school bus that they had been contributing towards for the past six years without any evidence of it arriving. They were of course delighted when said bus made an appearance last week. WOZA congratulates Glen View School for responding to the demands of their parents.

12 noon Breaking News - Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA)

Rural women continue WOZA's education campaign ONE hundred women have been arrested in Filabusi Town in Insiza after a peaceful protest against skyrocketing school fees and the chasing home of children whose parents cannot pay. Fees went up from five hundred thousand to five million dollars. WOZA members from rural areas in Insiza demonstrated at the District Education Ministry offices demanding their children's right to an education. About 160 members participated in the protest and it is expected that numbers of arrested could increase as news spreads of the arrest and other women hand themselves in in solidarity. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) lawyers are attending the scene.

As they dispersed, the women had to walk past the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) station. This seemed to alert the police as bicycle officers then followed and arrested the women, who humbly allowed themselves to be arrested. The protest caused a great stir in the rural town with many people leaving their officers to witness the event. Notorious Government Minister and Zanu PF MP for Insiza, Andrew Langa watched the protest with a very disturbed expression on his face.

As they marched, the women sang, "Schools are expensive for you and for me but still the children need to be educated and fed."

Note: The WOZA solution - TOUGH LOVE: Based on the principles of strategic non-violence, through our actions we create space to allow the general public to articulate issues they are too fearful to raise alone. WOZA has conducted over 35 protests in its three year existence and over 1000 women have spent up to 48 hours in custody, some more than once. These women, front-line human rights defenders, are willing to suffer beatings and unbearable conditions in prison cells to exercise their constitutional rights.

We have set ourselves up as a litmus test to prove that the power of love can conquer the love of power. 'Tough Love' is our secret weapon of mass mobilisation. 'Tough Love' is the disciplining love of a parent; we must practice it and bring dignity back to our families. Tough Love from the grassroots is the solution to crisis of governance in Zimbabwe. Our rulers need some discipline; who better to dish it out than the women!

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