Zimbabwean trade unionists, workers held
November 09, 2005 Edition 1
Basildon Peta
Harare: Police and army arrested the entire top leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), other civic leaders and hundreds of ordinary workers ahead of planned protests here against worsening economic hardships and government incompetence.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) slammed the arrests of the unionists, including ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo and his secretary-general Wellington Chibebe. Matombo confirmed his arrest while in custody yesterday before his cellphone went off.
"We have been arrested but not yet charged," Matombo said in a brief interview.
Matombo's other deputy, Collin Gwiyo, who managed to evade arrest, said the police descended on the workers and their leaders just as the demonstration was about to start at midday and loaded them into vans by force.
He said the protests had been timed during lunchtime from between noon and 2pm to avoid disrupting people working.
Gwiyo said he saw soldiers dropping from police vans and helping the police load the ZCTU leaders and other workers into the vans.
Zimbabwe Social Forum chairman Regis Matutu and National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairman Lovemore Madhuku, who had joined the protests in solidarity with the ZCTU, were also arrested. Gwiyo said more than 150 labour leaders and workers had been arrested.
Similar arrests of labour leaders and ordinary workers had been made in the second city of Bulawayo, Gwiyo said, though he could not immediately provide figures.
Gwiyo said the aim of the protests had been to highlight the ZCTU's displeasure with the government's continuing misgovernance, which has led to Zimbabwe's virtual economic collapse.
He said the ZCTU was demanding reduced income taxes for workers, serious efforts to address worsening poverty, a living wage, efficient transport and measures to address the deteriorating economic climate.
He said the labour body would keep on pushing for these measures despite the arrests. Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was not immediately available for comment on the arrests or what charges would be brought against them. All the arrested were still in police custody at the time of going to print.
Under Zimbabwe's tough security laws, no one is allowed to organise a political gathering of more than four people without police permission. Any demonstrations are banned unless sanctioned by the police.
Zimbabwe is grappling with its worst ever economic crisis characterised by 300-plus inflation and endemic fuel, power and food shortages.
