SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
8 August 2008
Despite the power sharing talks, once again civil society groups have become victims of the government's continued anti-activism clamp-down this week.
The period of the talks has seen little change on the ground in Zimbabwe, despite the signing the Memorandum of Understanding that agreed to facilitate peace and ease suffering. Reports of violence have continued and the government ban on humanitarian aid has still not been lifted, leaving millions of Zimbabweans in a daily battle to survive.
Meanwhile, despite reports of progress at the talks, police in Harare raided the offices of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition on Thursday, under the pretence of investigating an illegal mining company. At the same time, about 10 activists from various groups were deported from Zambia after immigration officials there claimed the group were trying to disrupt the power-sharing talks.
Macdonald Lewanika, a spokesman for the Crisis Coalition, told Newsreel on Friday that the police raid was "tantamount to harassment" and "completely unexpected in context of the dialogue taking place". He said the police officers used an excuse to conduct the raid and added that the group has since been ordered to "provide an explanation for operating under the government's directive for NGO's to cease operations".
Lewanika was also part of the group of activists that was deported on Thursday. He said the group had travelled to Zambia for a consultative meeting with individuals from across Africa, who had gathered to describe "how government transitions were managed in their countries". He explained that while they were offered no explanation from the Zambian government, immigration authorities insisted that the meeting would be "aiding renegades who discuss things that are not in the spirit of the dialogue".
Lewanika said the talks been undermined by the ongoing threat to civic society and the Zimbabwean people, and added that the process has no validity in the face of the continued clamp down on humanitarian efforts and the obvious suffering experienced by the people. But he added that civic society has been given little choice but to "wait and see what kind of an agreement is reached".
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