HARARE - Police on Saturday disrupted a peaceful march organized by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to commemorate September 13, 2006. The police had initially written to the ZCTU banning the gathering and accused the ZCTU of trying to scuttle the National Healing Process by commemorating this day. Three activists were arrested but were later reThe ZCTU annually commemorates the day three years ago when its leadership and activists were brutally assaulted while in police custody. These included the President, Lovemore Matombo, Secretary General, Wellington Chibebe, Vice Presidents Lucia Matibenga and George Nkiwane. To this day some still bear the scars of the torture. Since 2006, September 13 has become a calendar event for Zimbabwean workers.
The ZCTU made an urgent High Court application on September 11, after police had indicated that the commemorations could not go ahead. An Order was granted allowing the ZCTU to go ahead with the commemorations but police went ahead to disrupt proceedings despite having been furnished with the High Court Order.
In denying the ZCTU permission to hold the gathering the police had indicated that they did not have enough manpower to control the crowds but on Saturday there were hundreds of armed riot police in attendance.
The ZCTU has deplored the behaviour of the armed police who disrupted the gathering, saying it flew in the face of the inclusive government as barely two months ago the co-Minister of Home Affairs, Giles Mutsekwa announced that there was no ban on peaceful gatherings, marches or protests.
We find it odd that the powers that be are talking of National Healing but they do not want people to talk about their painful past experiences. National Healing is not all about just forgetting about the past but it is about talking about it and finding closure, says a ZCTU statement.
This also comes barely two weeks after the ILO Commission of Inquiry finished its two-week mission to Zimbabwe to probe trade union rights violations, specifically the Right to Freedom of Association and Assembly and the Right to Collective Bargaining.
Government had given assurances to the ILO Commission that no further violations were taking place but today the ZCTU has been vindicated as we have been pointing out that what is happening on the ground is contrary to what the politicians are saying, says the statement.
Post published in: Politics