The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) this Saturday elected Tirivanhu Marimo as the new secretary general in a development many believe marks the return of active trade unionism due to his apolitical stance on workers issues.
Marimo takes over from long serving trade unionist, Japhet Moyo, who retired last year.
During polls held Saturday, Marimo choked a landslide victory in which he garnered 55 votes ahead of his main contender Michael Kandukutu, who secured 38 votes from the 93 eligible delegates.
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A holder of a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Masters in Human Rights Litigation from the Witwatersrand University, Marimo has a traceable record of labour activism, and is known within and beyond Zimbabwe as a human rights advocate.
He is not a novice to the country's labour movement after having served as a chairperson of ZCTU's National Young Workers' Committee.
Before being elected the new SG, Marimo worked tirelessly to represent workers in the Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers' Union (ZIBAWU), where he held various positions from a mere executive member to the current position of national organising secretary and legal manager.
Marimo has been an outspoken critic of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, which he believes hinder the country's progress. He believes that strategic litigation and advocacy are essential for shaping a future free of human rights abuses.
In his acceptance speech, Marimo pledged to immediately secure the independence of the ZCTU from vested political interests in the country.
"Our movement grows stronger not in the absence of competition, but in the presence of unity after competition. Let us continue to walk this journey together, for our struggle is far greater than any one individual.
"As secretary general, I pledge to safeguard the independence and integrity of the ZCTU, strengthen the voice of every affiliate union and ensure that no worker feels excluded from our collective shield while fighting relentlessly for policies that uplift workers and defend their rights in workplaces, courts, and on the national stage," he said.
He called for the support of the country's working class and citizens as he underscored that taking the ZCTU back to its former glory will not be an easy road.
"Comrades, we have sent a clear message today: ZCTU belongs to the workers -- it is their shield, their voice, their weapon of justice! History shows that workers united cannot be defeated," added Marimo.
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