Civil society condemns State persecution of protesters

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Zimbabwean civil society organisations (CSOs) have closed ranks in condemning government for its heavy-handed response to ongoing citizen protests and urged the African Union (AU) and SADC to intervene.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the organisations said they stood in solidarity with the protesters but discouraged the use of violence in demonstrating against the Zanu PF government.

From last week, pop corn riots broke out in the border town of Beitbridge before spreading to Harare while there are reports that angry citizens are planning similar protests in Bulawayo, Masvingo and other cities as a civil servants strike entered its first day on Tuesday and then a general shutdown on Wednesday.

“We…Zimbabwean civil society organisations stand in total solidarity with the working people of Zimbabwe, civil servants, the informal traders, vendors, cross border traders and the millions of the suffering and impoverished masses during this darkest hour of state failure in the history of the country.

“The past few months have been particularly eventful and historic for Zimbabwe as it has seen the economic recession sink deeper with cash shortages and a striking fall in government revenue being its most striking feature,” read the joint statement.

The CSOs called on State security organs, particularly the police, to “forthwith cease to use violence on peaceful protestors” and to “uphold the rule of law and respect human rights”.

Police reacted violently to the Beitbridge and Harare protests, assaulting the demonstrators and arresting them.

Residents from south-eastern parts of the capital told Nehanda Radio that armed police conducted door to door searches Monday night, beating them up and arresting suspected rioters.

The CSOs urged government to immediately pay civil servants the salaries that it owes them and repeal anti-people legislation, part of which had caused the Beitbridge protests when it banned an array of imported goods that unemployed people are reselling in Zimbabwe for a living.

“The state must respect freedom of speech, of the media, assembly and to petition as set out in the national constitution. The government must put an end to corruption, arrest and incarcerate those who have looted the economy empty.

“SADC, AU and the rest of the international community must restrain the government of Zimbabwe from the spiralling state-organised violence and human rights abuses against protesters,” said the CSOs. Nehanda Radio