By Mthulisi Mathuthu
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has made an urgent High Court application, seeking to bar the police from interfering with their march planned for Saturday.
Dzimbabwe Chimbga from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told SW Radio Africa Tuesday that the matter will be heard by Justice Mathonsi Wednesday at 11 am. Reports Tuesday said the police had banned the march against the violation of workers’ rights.
In a shock u-turn the police banned the march citing ‘security fears’ soon, after giving it an all clear. According to Chimbga, on August 20th the police gave the march the nod only to write a week later withdrawing the permission.
The ZCTU, the largest labour union in the country, intends to commemorate the September 14th 2006 crackdown on a workers protest, during which the police assaulted trade union leaders Lovemore Matombo and Wellington Chibhebhe.
Plans are that the commemoration will start with the cleaning up of streets at Copacabana in the Kopje district of Harare, followed by a march to the Globe House between 9.30 am and 1 pm.
A police notice however, said ‘the political situation is not yet conducive for such events as unscrupulous elements might take advantage and hijack the whole programme’.
Chimbgwa said the ZCTU will argue in court that if the police had such intelligence it was incumbent upon them to discharge their duties and act accordingly. He said the police should go ahead and ‘monitor’ the proceedings, as they stated in their initial notice. SW Radio Africa
