SW Radio Africa (London)
Violet Gonda
3 December 2008
Riot police have used force to break up peaceful protests by the ZCTU in Harare. They have also clamped down hard on another demonstration by doctors and nurses. Various abductions have also been reported.
Jestina Mukoko, a former ZBC television personality and director of the human rights group the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), was abducted from her house in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) released a statement saying that 15 unidentified men abducted Mukoko in a pre-dawn raid from her Norton home around 5 am. Her whereabouts are not yet known.
The ZPP has been at the forefront of documenting politically motivated violence before and in the run-up, to the March 2008 harmonized elections, and in the run-up to the sham June presidential election.
ZHLR said it is "greatly disturbed by the escalating phenomenon of enforced disappearance of human rights defenders and political activists in the country. The silence of the Harare authorities on the long running abductions indicates its complicity."
The ZHLR refer in their statement to the 14 MDC activists abducted a month ago and 2 who were abducted last week.
Meanwhile several civic leaders were arrested Wednesday morning in connection with the ZCTU demonstrations which were being held to protest the cash shortages.
The communications officer of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Nixon Nyikadzino, has confirmed that Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary General Raymond Majongwe and six others have been arrested. An SABC correspondent, John Nyashanu, is also reported to have been briefly detained when he was covering the ZCTU protest.
The clampdown on rights defenders came after former Defence Minister Sidney Sekeramayi, flanked by two top army officials, made a rare appearance on state television, warning the ZCTU against holding any demonstrations.
Meanwhile the Congress of South African Trade Unions have confirmed that Enock Paradzayi, a Coordinator with the PTUZ, was picked up by Central Intelligence Operatives and is being held at Magnet House on the 4th Floor in Bulawayo. No further information has been received about this arrest.
A report just in from COSATU confirms a number of other arrests:
Wellington Chibebe (Secretary General) and Lovemore Matombo (President) have managed to hand the ZCTU petition to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor.
Soon after handing it over, Chibebe proceeded to address workers but was arrested while in the process of addressing the workers. He was arrested together with 9 other people including Tonderai Nyahunzvi, Canwell Muchadya, Hillarious Ruyi, Cde Tarumbira and Joseph Chuma.
Another 10 in Harare were heavily assaulted by the police. These included Getrude Hambira (General Agricultural and Plantation Workers' Union - General Secretary), Angeline Chitambo (Zimbabwe Energy Workers' Union - President), Tecla Masamba (Communications and Allied Workers' Union of Zimbabwe), Martha Kajama (National Engineering Workers' Union of Zimbabwe) and Mirriam Katumba (Vice Chair Women's Advisory Council).
Meanwhile, Japhet Moyo (ZCTU Deputy Secretary General) Ben Madzimure (The Worker Editor), Fungayi Kanyongo (The Worker Intern), Raymond Majongwe (Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe - General Secretary), James Gumbi (Zimbabwe Rural District Council Workers' Union - General Secretary), Osward Madziwa (PTUZ) were also arrested in Harare.
In Gweru more than 25 people have been arrested. Amongst those arrested are the ZCTU Central Regional chair Charles Chikozho, Isaac Thebethebe (Central region secretary), Moses Mhaka and Wilbert Muringani (both PTUZ) and Benard Sibanda.
In Zvishavane town 6 people were arrested while at Barclays Bank. The six are Elinas Gumbo, Ndodana Sithole, Nicholas Zengeya, Isaac Matsikidze, Sarudzai Chimwanda, and David Moyo. They are being held at Zvishavane police station.
In most parts of the country, workers managed to hand in petitions to the RBZ offices.
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