Zim crisis tops COSATU agenda

He said while the rest of Africa acknowledged that Zimbabwe had been through a protracted and heroic struggle led by Zanu (PF) that liberated the country from British colonialism and contributed to the wave of liberation throughout the Southern African region, COSATU was pained by the partys gross violations of human rights.

“The liberation of the country brought about massive changes and gains in the areas of education, health and food security, including supplying the whole region with some basic commodities. This however was to be reversed by a steady and gradual erosion of the democratic and social gains of the liberation struggle as a result of growing political elitism, corruption and neo-colonialism in the post-independence regime. “The emergence of working class challenge to the political elitism and neo-colonial despotism led by the ZCTU ultimately became a political contest for power with the birth of a political movement in the form of the MDC. “The intensification of state violence, persecution of political and trade union activists and the massive arrests by the Zanu (PF) regime in the name of defending the revolution was actually the defence of narrow elitist interests, said Craven.

He added that COSATU had led many campaigns in support of the ZCTU and the broader working masses of Zimbabwe to demand democracy and social justice and defend the people from both local elitist and imperialist forces. “The resultant formation of the GNU as a culmination of protracted struggles and negotiation processes underwritten by SADC and the AU was a compromised version of the workers demands for a people-centred constitutional democracy,” said Craven.

He said the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe was primarily about democracy and economic power for the poor and working majority, which suffered dramatically as a result of both political patronage and IMF-driven economic structural adjustment programmes. “Liberation gains require on-going mobilization and sustained vigilance in the form of the organized power of the working class to ensure that leaders and public institutions are continuously held accountable and responsive to the needs of the masses.

He said the powerful South Africa labour body would continue supporting the ZCTU in its quest to deepen and defend democracy and economic justice and would maintain the highest levels of political vigilance as we monitor with keen interest the processes in Zimbabwe including the economic developments and how they empower the working class and the poor.

“COSATU must establish a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe, in order to meet various stakeholders to ascertain the exact facts on the ground. This will help us determine the next best step forward, recognizing the leadership of ZCTU and in full consultation with them,” said Craven. He called on SADC to enforce the Global Political Agreement (GPA), as a minimum condition for the speedy advance towards democracy.