SW Radio Africa (London)
Alex Bell
9 November 2009
column
A weekend spate of arrests of trade unionists and students activists is set to further threaten Zimbabwe's political stability, with observers arguing that it is clear that Robert Mugabe has no intention of abiding by regional calls to uphold the Global Political Agreement.
Last Friday, nine students were arrested on unexplained charges, by five members of Mugabe's presidential guard. The group was apparently having a discussion outside the grounds of Bindura University when they were picked up and hauled away. While eight of the students were eventually released that same afternoon, by Monday there was still no sign of the remaining arrested student, Tafadzwa Mugwadi. Mugwadi, a student activist from the University of Zimbabwe, had travelled to Bindura to campaign for a fellow student leader ahead of the Bindura University's SRC elections this week. According to the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), Mugwadi is believed to have been handed over to the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), and there are serious concerns for his safety.
Then, on Sunday night, five members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), including ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo, were arrested in Victoria Falls. Matombo was meeting with the ZCTU executive for the area, on the first leg of a countrywide tour of the union federation's structures, when they were all arrested. The group was set to spend yet another night behind bars on Monday night, and are expected in court Tuesday to face charges relating to the contravention the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).
At the same time, more than 15 other ZCTU activists have been summoned to appear in court in Tuesday, following their arrest in December 2008 during a peaceful demonstration about cash shortages. The summons for their court appearance was only issued late Monday morning, despite legally needing to be issued at least 14 days before the proceedings. The ZCTU explained Monday that it would appear that old cases, including many closed, are now being revived, including a case that was thrown out of court earlier this year.
The arrests and apparent legal harassment all come mere days after all three principals to the unity government were set a 30 deadline by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to talk and reach some resolution about how to solve the country's political stalemate. While this deadline has been reported as applying pressure on Mugabe to uphold the GPA, the ongoing harassment and arrests of activists shows it clearly has no weight with ZANU PF.
Meanwhile a prominent trade unionist in the agricultural sector, Gertrude Hambira, is still in hiding and reportedly fearing for her life, after her Harare home was broken into and raided by three men almost a week ago. Hambira, who is the Secretary General of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union (GAPWUZ), was not home at the time, but her husband and children were. The three men who broke into the house, asking about Hambira's whereabouts, threatened to shoot her husband if he called for help. They eventually fled with money, mobile phones and pictures of Hambira.
The attack followed two similar incidents linked to state security agents in Harare in the past few weeks. On 27 October, Edith Mashayire, an MDC employee, was attacked on the street in Harare by armed men believed to be state security agents. They reportedly told her that she was under arrest and started assaulting her with their guns, but they released her after she called for help from members of the public. That same week another MDC employee, Pascal Gwezere, was abducted by state security agents from his home.
Gwezere's whereabouts were unknown for several days, until he was finally taken to court, where he was charged with breaking into a military armoury and undergoing military training in Uganda. Gwezere was severely tortured after his abduction and was refused medical treatment until last Friday, when a magistrate ordered he be treated. Gwezere was expected back in court Monday where his lawyer, Alex Muchadehama, brought forward complaints about Gwezere's torture. Muchadehama told SW Radio Africa that although Gwezere has been briefly treated by a prison doctor, he is in need of more serious treatment. The lawyer lamented the slow process of the law in this case, arguing there are serious health concerns for his client. Gwezere is now expected back in court on Wednesday.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 SW Radio Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
