Madhuku said the NCA’s case was not as a result of legal interest but to conscientise the nation, region and the international community that people where sidelined from the constitution making process.
“As NCA we are not ending with the shelved referendum legal challenge but would watch closely how the actual voting will be conducted and help tame voter rigging in favour of the GNU preferred Yes vote. We will not rest until the scandalous draft constitution falls,” said Madhuku.
Madhuku said his organisation was not against the draft constitution for the sake of it but was for a democratically crafted constitution.
He expressed hope that the No vote would prevail since the electorate will not be fooled by the elite GNU political leadership.
Madhuku said if the voter turnout is low as expected even if the Yes vote prevails it will be illegitimate. He said more than half of the estimated electorate should participate in the referendum since failure to pass the half mark would render the outcome illegitimate.
Speaking at the same occasion Progressive Teachers Union Zimbabwe Raymond Majongwe said the draft constitution was anti workers since it stipulated that teachers’ salaries would be pegged depending on availability of resources without going through a negotiation process.
“One would wonder who is charged with the responsibility to determine availability of resources. It is scandalous for salaries of government workers to be approved by the state president as suggested in the draft constitution. This is the worst form of oppression of the worker the world over. As PTUZ we are mobilizing for a No vote,” said Majongwe.
MDC99 President Job Sikhala who joined forces with the NCA for the No vote said he was disappointed by MDC formations calling for a Yes vote against interests of people.
He said one of the reasons why MDC was formed in 1999 was to fight for a people driven constitution not the circus and scandalous draft being forced down people’s throats.
“My heart bleeds to learn that all of a sudden after dining with Mugabe, Tsvangirai has joined forces with the enemy to deny Zimbabweans a people driven supreme law. MDCs in the GNU are dining with Mugabe at a high risk,” said Sikhala.
Sikhala said he was reliably informed that GNU partners planned to rig the referendum by way of staffing ballot boxes with Yes vote ballot papers.
“We will mobilise for the No vote and adopt new strategies after the referendum,” said Sikhala.
President for the Zimbabwe National Students Union Pride Mukono told journalists at the Press Conference that the draft was an insult to students.
He said the proposed new supreme law did not protect social justice as “reflected by its privatisation of education. The draft shuts doors against the poor regarding accessing education.”
He said a referendum before recommended GPA reforms was a betrayal of the people. “Students will come out in their numbers and vote No.”
Post published in: News