----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 9:14 PM
Subject: Street
Stay away from the city -
ZANU PF thugs are dishing out street justice to anyone
deemed to be anti government.
This is what happened to me
- At approximately 13:25 today I was leaving the
Meikles Hotel and saw that there was a group of people on the steps outside the
hotel who were involved in an altercation of some sort. I left the hotel and went to my car which was
immediately outside where my wife Laurinda was waiting for me. My wife had a camera with her and realising
that the altercation was of a serious nature she started filming the
incident. The reason why we knew that
the altercation was serious was that the Meikles Hotel was in the process of
closing the metal blinds in front of their doors to prevent the persons involved
in the altercation from going into to the lobby.
- The group of people were man handling a man who
was not known to me. They forced him
into the back of a pick up. I circled
round the traffic island in front of the hotel because I saw a further group of
people coming towards the vehicle in which the man had been put. They were not
uniformed policemen and were acting in an extremely aggressive manner. Some of the newly arrived group saw our
camera and as we passed them they made an attempt to stop my vehicle by standing
in its path. I continued driving and one
or more of the group kicked the right back door of my vehicle as I passed them,
while shouting aggressively at us. We
immediately left the scene.
- At the intersection of 4th/Samora
Machel, we stopped at the robot which was red.
We then noticed a red vehicle and a blue pick up truck , both which we
had first seen at the Meikles Hotel, draw up behind us and two people jumped
from one or other of these vehicles onto the back of my vehicle. They were behaving aggressively and banging
with their fists on the roof of the cab.
They were shouting but we were not able to make out what they were
saying.
- I turned sharply left into Central Ave and one
of our assailants fell off the vehicle.
The other one remained on the vehicle and continued his aggressive
behaviour. I tried to dislodge him from the vehicle but was not successful in
doing so. During the course of my journey I went past two contingents of
ZRPolice and shouted out of the window to them that we were being attacked and
asked for help, but no help was forthcoming.
I also went past the MDC offices and similarly shouted out of my window
for help but once again no help was forthcoming.
- During this time my wife continued to film our
assailant. He had a bayonet in his hand
and made threatening gestures with it towards my wife. He then unscrewed the cap of the auxiliary
fuel tank which caused the diesel to splash out over the tarpaulin and other
parts of the vehicle. At this stage we
could make out that he was shouting that we were to give him the camera and that
he was going to burn the vehicle. He
repeated several times that he would burn the vehicle and started to search his
pockets for matches. We were very
frightened at this point as the car could have gone up in flames at any stage
and we could have been burnt to death.
- In desperation my wife pulled out a small pen
knife which she keeps in her hand bag and attempted to prevent him from lighting
a match by stabbing with the knife towards his legs through the rear window
which she opened for this purpose. It is
not clear whether or not she wounded him.
In response he then attempted to stab her with his bayonet. She then closed the window. Whilst this was going on I telephoned a
friend who lives close by and arranged to drive past his house. He said he would be outside his house and
would assist in dislodging our assailant.
- We drove past our friends house, he was outside
and we stopped to allow him to pull our assailant off the vehicle, however our
assailant at this point jumped off the vehicle himself. He was still acting in an extremely
aggressive fashion and continued to shout that he wanted to have our
camera. He then ran
away.
- During the course of our journey when we were
trying to dislodge our assailant from the vehicle I was obliged to drive through
several red traffic lights and at one point I scraped two vehicles which were
stopped at a traffic light. Clearly in
view of the circumstances I was not able to stop when this happened as we feared
for our lives.
- I have a film of most of the incident. I attach a clear photograph identifying the
assailant who remained on the vehicle.
The rest of the film showing the aggressive behaviour, his bayonet and
other details sworn to above is available as evidence.
- I tried to lay a charge of attempted murder
against the person concerned - picture attached
- but the Police at Avondale Police station refused to take the complaint citing
"we have no stationary" as the reason and referred me to Harare
Central.
from R W {
Topper } Whitehead
"let it never be asked of any of us - what
did we do when we knew another was oppressed"
Nelson
Mandela
"all
that is necessary for EVIL to prevail is for GOOD people to do NOTHING"
Edmund
Burk
"Cowardice asks, is it safe? Expediency asks, is it
politic? Vanity asks,
is it popular? But conscience asks, IS IT RIGHT? There
comes a time when
one must take the position that it is neither safe, nor
politic, nor
popular------BUT one must do it because conscience says it is
RIGHT!"
The time is ALWAYS right to do what is Right
Martin Luther King
Mail and Guardian
Zimbabwe govt crushes protests
Harare
02 June 2003 11:17
Authorities arrested Zimbabwe's
opposition leader on Monday and fired tear
gas on student protesters, vowing
to crush the launch of anti-government
demonstrations the opposition hopes
will mark the most significant challenge
yet to President Robert Mugabe's
decades long rule.
Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement
for Democratic Change
was arrested at his home on Monday, charged with
contempt of court for
planning an illegal demonstration, said Innocent
Chagonda, his lawyer.
Police had come several hours before, around
midnight, but left when they
found Tsvangirai was not at
home.
Tsvangirai, a former trade union leader, has become increasingly
defiant in
his calls for the people of Zimbabwe to rise up against Mugabe and
his
policies which the opposition blames for sinking the country into
economic
and political disarray.
This week has been called as a week
of strikes and protest against the
government.
Riot police fired tear
gas at hundreds of students at Zimbabwe University as
they tried to march
from campus to downtown Harare.
The students were driven back by the
clouds of tear gas. Tear gas was also
fired on a group that gathered on the
street in the Harare township of
Budiriro.
In another Harare township
called Mabvuku army trucks packed with soldiers
patrolled overnight. Riot
police in helmets and bearing clubs stood watch in
downtown
Harare.
Tsvangirai appeared in court on Monday where he is standing trial
for
treason. The state says he was part of a plot to assassinate Mugabe,
charges
he and his fellow accused -- two senior opposition officials --
deny.
"I'm in no position to comment," Tsvangirai told reporters of his
arrest as
he was hurried into court by two plainclothes
detectives.
One of his fellow accused, party secretary-general Welshman
Ncube said
police had also tried to arrest him overnight. He was not at home,
but
police assaulted his staff, he said.
"They beat my workers, there
are broken bones," he said.
Of the launch of this week's actions against
the government, he said, "it is
tough and it is very tense."
As part
of their crackdown against demonstrations, police-manned roadblocks
were set
up along all the main roads leading into the capital, Harare and
military
helicopters swooped over the western city of Bulawayo. Both cities
are
considered opposition strongholds.
In Bulawayo, two lawmakers were
arrested, also accused of planning an
illegal demonstration, opposition
officials said.
Over the weekend the High Court declared the
demonstrations illegal, but the
opposition planned on filing an appeal
against the ruling at the Supreme
Court on Monday.
In Harare it
appeared the strike was taking hold, with most shops, banks,
and factories
closed. Traffic was light, and only few commuter busses
were
running.
Opposition officials said they were planning for street
demonstrations later
in the day.
State television, in its nightly news
on Sunday, said planned demonstrations
and strikes would be "met with the
full wrath of the law."
It said ruling party youths loyal to the
government would break up
opposition street demonstrations and quoted Defence
Minister Sidney
Sekeramayi as saying "enough measures" were being taken to
stop
anti-government unrest.
"Our soil is very sacrosanct. We shall
not allow it to be recolonized,"
Sekeramayi told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting
Corporation.
The government has repeatedly accused Britain, the former
colonial ruler, of
funding the Movement for Democratic Change and
opposition-backed labor
unions to mount a campaign to oust Mugabe.
SABC
Tsvangirai out on bail
June 02, 2003,
12:45
Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's opposition leader,
has been
charged with contempt of court, after his party defied a court order
and
went ahead with mass protests today. Tsvangirai has been released on
bail.
Zimbabwe's government, army and war veterans have
threatened to
crush any violence that might break out. Police in the capital,
Harare have
used teargas to disperse crowds gathering to protest against
President
Robert Mugabe.
Police also stormed the
University of Zimbabwe to disperse
student protesters. William Bango, the MDC
spokesperson, says despite the
security forces' clamp down on demonstrators,
there is strong support for
the action.
Police, troops crush protest marches but anti-government strike shuts
down
Zimbabwe economy
By ANGUS SHAW
The Associated
Press
6/2/03 3:04 PM
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Government troops
fired live ammunition and tear
gas and beat demonstrators with clubs and
rifle butts Monday as the
opposition launched a week of strikes and protests
aimed at forcing
President Robert Mugabe to step down.
Police raids
rounded up dozens of leaders and supporters of the opposition
Movement for
Democratic Change, which is seeking to make its most
significant challenge
yet to Mugabe's autocratic rule.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was
arrested at his Harare home early
Monday but was later released.
The
opposition blames Mugabe for Zimbabwe's worst economic crisis
since
independence, with record inflation of 269 percent and acute shortages
of
currency, gasoline, medicines and other essential imports and food.
Only
international food aid has averted mass starvation.
The
government, through the state media, has vowed to use the army, police
and
its governing party militias to crush protests. Armored vehicles
with
rotating machine gun turrets patrolled the streets as demonstrations
began
in the capital, Harare, and the country's second-largest city,
Bulawayo,
both considered opposition strongholds.
In downtown Harare,
soldiers forced about 20 protesters to lie on the
sidewalk where they beat
them with rubber batons, witnesses said. Some cried
out in pain, shouting,
"What have we done?"
On the campus of Zimbabwe University, witnesses also
saw a group of about
eight students beaten by soldiers. Riot police fired
tear gas, driving back
hundreds of students trying to march
downtown.
More beatings were reported in the Harare township of Mabvuku
where shoppers
at a sidewalk fruit and vegetable stand were mistaken for
protesters by
soldiers and hit with rifle butts.
This week's protests
are also seen as a blow to the efforts of African
leaders, headed by South
African President Thabo Mbeki, to win backing from
Western powers for an
economic revival plan for Africa. That plan relies on
an African promise to
insure good-governance in Africa.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said
in a statement that at least 154
people, most of them opposition activists or
officials, were arrested across
the country Monday.
A march in
Bulawayo was broken up by riot police who beat three opposition
supporters,
injuring them before dragging them into a police truck, said
democratic
rights activist Jenni Williams.
"We are trying to find out where they are
so we can get urgent medical
attention to them," she said.
Bvudzijena,
the police spokesman, said forces were forced to fire into the
air in the
Highfield township in western Harare after opposition protesters
tried to use
a group of school children as human shields, an allegation the
opposition
denied.
Opposition officials said three people suffered gunshot wounds in
that
incident.
Tsvangirai, a former trade union leader who now heads
the main opposition,
has become increasingly defiant in his calls for
Zimbabweans to rise up
against Mugabe and his policies.
He called five
days of strikes and protests, beginning Monday, aimed at
pushing Mugabe to
step down and allow for new presidential elections.
Zimbabwe's High Court
declared the demonstrations illegal, but the
opposition filed an appeal
Monday.
Most of the economy was brought to a standstill by the national
strike.
Downtown Harare was mostly deserted. Military police searched the
few cars
headed out of the city center. Banks, factories, post offices,
schools and
all downtown shops remained shut Monday as police and troops
drove through
the streets.
"It's like we are under armed occupation
and some kind of curfew. It's
frightening. We have seen police chasing people
away," said Alex Sibanda, a
businessman whose office overlooks the city's
central square.
The secretary-general of the opposition, Welshman Ncube,
called for more
demonstrations.
"What is left is for the people to
press on for the next four days with the
complete stay-away from work and
massive demonstrations," Ncube said.
"People must all remain resolute. The
end is in sight."
SABC
Mugabe's future is inevitable: NNP
June
02, 2003, 18:45
The latest strikes and protests in
Zimbabwe indicate that the
writing is on the wall for President Robert
Mugabe, the New National Party
(NNP) said today.
Boy
Geldenhuys, NNP's foreign affairs spokesperson, said the
strikes showed that
the people of Zimbabwe have had enough of his reign as
president, saying:
"The arrest of Morgan Tsvangirai and other MDC (Movement
for Democratic
Change) leaders will only spur on the masses to greater
resistance which
Mugabe and his government will not be able to survive."
Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders must now
convince
Mugabe to step down to prevent further damage being done to
Zimbabwe, he
added.
Tsvangirai was arrested early today ahead of a planned
five-day
strike and anti-government demonstrations, which authorities have
vowed to
crush.
Armed soldiers and riot police reportedly
beat protesters and
fired tear gas and warning shots to quell marchers.
Geldenhuys likened
events in Zimbabwe to the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaucescu
in Romania.
"What happened in the former Eastern Europe,
especially in
Romania, was a confirmation of the fact that no dictator
or
quasi-democratically elected leader can stand up against the rebellion
of
and the will of the people," he said. - Sapa
BBC
Zimbabwe arrest: What happens next?
The leader
of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change party, Morgan
Tsvangirai has
been charged with contempt of court after being arrested at
his home on
Monday.
This follows the MDC's call for a week of protests and
demonstrations
aimed at toppling the government of President Robert
Mugabe.
There have already been tense confrontations between the
security
forces and demonstrators with one ruling Zanu-PF party official,
chief
spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira, calling for a showdown with the MDC so it
can
be "taught a lesson".
Does the MDC stand a chance of
effecting a change of government
following the seeming lack of success of
previous protests? What can be done
to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe? Tell
us what you think.
A selection of your e-mails will be broadcast on
BBC World Service's
Focus on Africa programme during the 1705 edition on
Saturday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following comments reflect the balance of views we have
received:
John Smith, UK
This was country that used
to be a food exporter...now it's suffering
from famine. It used to be an
industrial power in the region, now its
economy is in ruins. It used to have
a legal system that was fair and free
from corruption, now it's a human
rights disaster zone. The rot has spread
too far; the MDC cannot change
everything acting alone. The rest of the
world needs to help.
John
Smith, UK
I think Mugabe should just leave government for the sake
of political
and economic improvement of Zimbabwe before he is booted out.
The man is a
wicked and selfish man. We are tired of these kind of rulers in
Africa. Let
him go!
Opeyemi Adeseyoju, Nigeria
The
future of Zimbabwe still belongs to Morgan Tsvangirai and his
Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) as long he survives and patiently
resists forces of
repression, totalitarianism and authoritarianism in
Zimbabwe. An aging,
autocratic, discredited, dysfunctional oligarchy is
desperately fighting its
last battle in Zimbabwe. The outside world
(including Britain) should give
logistic, financial and organizational
support to MDC to enable it build a
bigger, nationwide, party organization;
to mobilize, unite, convert and
integrate with ZANU-PF deserters who put its
disintegrating nation's
interests above the corrupt, egotistical,
megalomaniacal ambitions of the
current leaders in power who have bankrupted
the nation chased away foreign
investors and destroyed a once-flourishing,
exemplary, agro-industrial,
economic system of Zimbabwe due to politics of
anti-white racism, xenophobia
and self-aggrandizement of public officials.
Igonikon Jack,
USA
I am proud to see that the people of Zimbabwe are finally
making a
stand against the government that has left them destitute due to its
corrupt
and often racist policies. There needs to be some sort of
intervention by
the international community soon, before it is too late.
Human rights
violations are rife, the greater part of the population is in
need of food
aid, the economy is crashing and there are shortages of many
basic
necessities (including cash).
Adrienne, USA (ex
Zimbabwe)
Having witnessed the demise of the country and the ruins
of the
tourist industry first hand. I am amazed that the rest of the world
just
sits by and lets it happen! This crisis will not be solved by a
government
that fires at protestors. There is nothing but misery for the
people of
Zimbabwe with no food, rising inflation and shortages for almost
everything.
It's about time other African leaders called for Mugabe to step
down, maybe
then this beautiful country will have a chance.
Kirsty
Clarke, Scotland
I think this week of protests will be a defining
one for Zimbabwe.
They have more support than ever with the mountain of
problems Mugabe has
created. There are only two ways to resolve this crisis.
Mugabe must step
down now, and fair elections must be called or he will have
to be removed by
force.
Matt, UK
Although the situation
is now desperate in Zim, I think in Tsvangirai
we are at risk of putting
someone in power who is exactly like Mugabe (power
hungry). Tsvangirai never
talks about the importance of a new and better
constitution, all he wants now
is to be president in 90 days. He wants to
use exactly the same constitution
which has caused us numerous problems. We
need an opposition that is
sensitive to the needs of the people.
Tapiwa, Zimbabwe
Warning
shots
Jun 2nd 2003
From The Economist Global Agenda
Demonstrations against the
misrule of Robert Mugabe have begun in Zimbabwean cities. The regime is moving
quickly to crush them, starting with the arrest of opposition leader Morgan
Tsvangirai. Bloodshed seems likely
THE opposition are
calling it the “final push” to get rid of Robert Mugabe’s illegitimate regime.
Mass rallies in Zimbabwe’s major cities are scheduled for the first three days
of this week, to be accompanied by a national strike. But the government has
promised to crush the demonstrations, which it claims are tantamount to a coup
attempt. Zimbabweans do not believe much that their government says, but
experience has taught them to take its threats of violence seriously.
True to form, police
arrested the leader of the main opposition party, Morgan Tsvangirai, on June
2nd. He was charged with contempt of court for failing to call off the “mass
action”, as a judge recently appointed by Mr Mugabe had ordered him to do. He
was then released, but several other opposition leaders were reportedly
arrested. Mr Tsvangirai is currently also on trial for his life on crudely
trumped-up treason charges.
Wherever protestors
gather, they are being roughly dispersed. A crowd of students was prevented from
marching to the centre of Harare, the capital, with tear-gas and beatings. In
another part of the city, police and soldiers fired live bullets over
demonstrators’ heads to scatter them, and there have also been reports of
clashes in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city. News is filtering out less quickly
than it should, partly because the government has tried hard to gag and
intimidate the media. Last month, it expelled the last foreign-passport holding
correspondent, Andrew Meldrum of The Economist and the Guardian.
The government is
visibly determined to stop protesters before they come close to any official
building, let alone Mr Mugabe’s palace. Armoured cars patrol the townships
around Harare, which the white racist regime that ran the country (then called
Rhodesia) until 1980 had built far from the centre, specifically to make
demonstrations more difficult. The army and the police man roadblocks on all
strategic routes, and Mr Mugabe’s personal youth militia has reportedly been
issued with assault rifles. Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), claims that the ruling party, ZANU-PF, has printed thousands of MDC
T-shirts, so that its supporters can carry out acts of violence which can then
be blamed on the MDC, giving the government an excuse for more arrests and more
torture.
Since Mr Mugabe stole a
presidential election last year, the opposition has tried various means to
unseat him. It has mounted a legal challenge to his “victory”, but the hearings
have been delayed. It has put out feelers for negotiations with the ruling
party, which South Africa is keen to broker, but little progress has been made.
As a precondition for talks, ZANU-PF insists that the MDC should recognise Mr
Mugabe as a legitimate president, which the MDC refuses to do. The MDC is
demanding fresh elections, to be organised by an independent electoral
commission. Ruling-party leaders know that a free and fair contest would spell
the end of their political careers, and possibly their liberty, so they resist
this idea.
A lot of taxpayers’
money has been spent on a campaign in the state media to persuade Zimbabweans
that this week’s protest is a plot by white imperialists and their stooges to
re-colonise Zimbabwe. The government scattered thousands of leaflets around
Harare on Monday with the slogan: “No to mass action, no to violence, no to
British puppets, no to Rhodesian sell-outs, no to the MDC”.
Few Zimbabweans pay much
heed. Most are more concerned with their ever-barer dinner plates, which they
tend to blame on the man who has ruled them since 1980. About half the
population is dependent on food aid, which ZANU-PF officials have tried to deny
to suspected dissidents. The main cause of the food shortages is probably the
government’s corrupt and chaotic programme of land reform, which has seen
productive commercial farms seized from their white owners, ostensibly for
redistribution to the landless. In fact, the land has often been given to rich
cronies of the regime. Production of food and cash crops for export has
plummeted, leaving the country both hungry and broke.
Last week, in
anticipation of trouble and strikes, those Zimbabweans who could afford to tried
to stock up on maize meal and cash. The banks promptly ran out of banknotes.
“There is no need to panic,” the central-bank governor told journalists,
assuring them that more would soon be printed. Inflation is 269% and rising. The
economy is contracting like a punctured tyre. And judging by this week’s events,
things will get worse in Zimbabwe before they get better.
Sunday Times (SA)
Riot cops drive protesters off Harare
streets
Monday June 02, 2003 16:29 - (SA)
HARARE -
Zimbabwean riot police forcibly cleared the streets of the capital
Harare on
the first day of an opposition-led strike to protest at the
policies of the
government of President Robert Mugabe, as ruling party
militias ran amok and
fear gripped the city.
Police fired teargas in one of Harare's main
streets and forced dozens of
people to lie flat on the pavement, kicking them
and beating them with
batons and whips, an AFP reporter witnessed.
On
the steps of a five-star hotel in the city centre, militant members
of
President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zimbabwe African National Union
-Patriotic
Front (ZANU-PF) brutally assaulted an unnamed person.
They
then attacked cars belonging to whites, one belonging to Topper
Whitehead, an
official from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) trying to
film the assault.
Whitehead later said that two militants had jumped onto
the back of his car
and tried to stab him through the rear window with a
bayonet.
He managed to shake off the pair.
The Zimbabwe government
had earlier promised peace and security for
citizens, and reported it was
safe for people to travel into Harare city
centre on the day the opposition
had called for protests against Mugabe's
regime.
Earlier the streets
were calm, but tensions were high in the capital by
early afternoon, as
scores of heavily armed riot police packed the city
centre and armoured cars
patrolled the central business district.
Bands of youth militia, products
of the government-run national youth
service, patrolled the streets dressed
in military fatigues.
Pedestrians hurried out of the city
centre.
"We're actually warning people not to go out of the hotel," a
worker at the
hotel where the attack took place, told AFP.
There were
also reports of unrest in some of the capital's high
density
suburbs.
At least one person was shot in the leg, allegedly by
police, in Highfield,
the low income suburb where Mugabe hails from, when
police tried to break up
a group of people preparing to march into the centre
of the capital.
The MDC had called for a week of democracy marches and
strikes in protest
against the government, which they blame for Zimbabwe's
deepening economic
and social hardships.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai
was arrested and charged with defying a court
order obtained by the
government to bar the mass action.
The opposition leader had vowed to
lead the protests.
The stayaway shut down most shops and businesses in
the capital on Monday,
and factories were also closed.
AFP
SABC
SA called on to help bring rapid change in
Zimbabwe
June 02, 2003, 16:30
The German
government and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have made
separate calls for
South Africa to help bring about rapid political change
in
Zimbabwe.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the German Development
Minister, says
the talks on peaceful change, which were started by President
Thabo Mbeki,
must be continued urgently.
Tony Leon, the DA
leader, called on the South African government
to urgently use its influence
in resolving the crisis in Zimbabwe.
A protest called by
Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader,
began today. Police used teargas to
disperse protesting students on the
local university campus. Tsvangirai was
arrested for contempt of court and
later released on bail, following a court
order to block the protest.
MDC News Alert
Members of the army and police have opened fire on
peaceful demonstrators in the Highfields district of Harare. There are as yet
unconfirmed reports that two people have been killed. An MDC youth has a bullet
wound in his leg and is currently in the Avenues Clinic in Harare.
In the centre of Harare, where many protestors are
gathering, MDC MP Edwin Mushoriwa was brutally attacked by the police and is
currently being treated in hospital for the injuries he sustained.
At the time of writing it has just been confirmed
that Tendai Biti, MDC Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, has been arrested by
police.
An update on the situation will follow
shortly.
For further information please
contact:
Nkanyiso Maqeda: 00 263 91 248 570
James Littleton: 00 44 7771 501 401
Silas Mangono, the Member of Parliament for
Masvingo Central and Jobert Mudzumwe, a member of the MDC National Executive,
and 23 MDC supporters were arrested in Masvingo urban today as they embarked on
the peaceful march. They have been detained at Masvingo Prison, where they are
being denied access to their lawyers
Job Sikhala, the Member of Parliament for St.
Mary's and Charlton Hwende, a member of the MDC Youth wing were also picked up
in Harare, and are believed to have been taken to Harare Central Police
Station.
In Victoria Falls, three MDC activists, namely
Nkululeko Nyoni, Ephraim Sithole and another identified only as M. Siyandeve are
missing after they were picked up by people driving a police vehicle. Their
lawyer, Jabulani Ndlovu, has looked for them at various police stations but has
not been able to find them. Ndlovu can be reached on 263 11 209
541
For further details,
please contact:
Nkanyiso Maqeda: 00 263 91 248 570
Max Zimuto: 00263 91 370 326
James Littleton: 00 44 7771 501 401
MDC Information and Publicity Depar
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was arrested at his home in
Harare this morning. He was taken to Harare Central Police Station where the
police attempted to charge him with contempt of court following a weekend High
Court order purportedly barring the MDC from engaging in mass action.
At the police station, they asked him to make a warned and
cautioned statement. His lawyers argued that a contempt of court charge is
usually initiated and processed by a court, not the police. In other words, the
court becomes the complainant in a civil dispute and acts accordingly. Police do
not need to take warned and cautioned statements from the alleged offender.
Anyway, the police quickly took Mr Tsvangirai to the High
Court, fearing that they too could be in contempt of court because his treason
trial was resuming today at 10 am.
On arrival, Mr Tsvangirai faced a new challenge: Home Affairs
Minister Kembo Mohadi had filed an urgent application for a fresh order seeking
to vary the bail conditions of Mr Tsvangirai, Mr Renson Gasela and Prof Welshman
Ncube in the on-going treason trial. Mohadi wants the court to order that:
“1. Each respondent is ordered not to incite the public to
engage in unlawful activities and illegal demonstrations.
“2. Each respondent is ordered not to make inflammatory
statements likely to lead to public disorder.”
The High Court then postponed to tomorrow today’s hearing on
the treason charge to enable Mr Tsvangirai’s lawyers to prepare a response to
the latest development. Mr Tsvangirai, WN and RG spent sometime at the Advocates
Chambers today briefing their counsel.
Mr Tsvangirai and Prof Ncube were, however, still required at
Harare Central police station for further questioning, according to the
police.
In the meantime, action continued to firm in all centres.
Meanwhile, several people who were at the home of
MDC Secretary-General's house when it was raided by police were beaten up. We
could not get through their phone to ascertain the number of people that were
injured as the phone was on the answering machine.
In Bulawayo, MDC MP Milton Gwetu, and MDC official
Abraham Mhlongwa, were arrested last night, and are still being detained. Police
have camped at the venue where people were expected to assemble to begin their
march for democracy, and are beating up any persons seen coming near the venue.
For details, please phone 263 91 248 570 or 263 91 370
326.
In Marondera, the homes of 5 MDC activists were
attacked by Zanu PF youths. Details of these can be obtained from Mr. Mudzingwa,
an MDC official from Mashonaland East Province, who can be reached on 263 91 306
909.
Three people were shot and seriously wounded in
Highfield by the army. Edwin Mushoriwa, MDC Member for Parliarment for
Dzivarasekwa was brutally assaulted by Zanu PF youths in Harare. He is in
critical condition at the Avenues Clinic, Harare
Soldiers and police are all over the towns beating
up people whom they suspect of taking part in the mass action.
Information Department
Ps: You can also reach us on these numbers
While we will make an effort to keep you updated,
you may also contact us on 263 91 248 570 or 263 91 370 326, 091278932,
091248570, 091244655
2 June
2003
MDC Congratulates Zimbabwe
The
Movement for Democratic Change would like to congratulate all Zimbabweans for
their victory over tyranny and dictatorship. This they won through their unity
and courage, which has seen business come to a total stand still throughout the
country.
In
this action, Zimbabweans and the MDC have proved beyond doubt where the people
in their entirety support. This is a clear and unambiguous message to the Mugabe
regime that the people of Zimbabwe have had enough suffering at the hands of the
illegitimate regime which stole the votes of the people and thereby usurping
their sovereignty; a regime which has brought the resilient people of Zimbabwe
to their knees through hunger, inflation of 300%, chronic shortages of fuel,
chronic shortage of energy, an unemployment rate of well over 70%, and above
all, now the unprecedented shortage of Zimbabwean money. It is our right, indeed
our obligation, to refuse to be completely impoverished by the Mugabe regime,
which by any standards, is a complete failure.
Only
when we act in a united fashion, with determination and resolve, can we make
Zimbabwe a better country. Our action today speaks loud and clear, and requires
no interpretation.
Today’s
victory has been achieved against the background of a fully unleashed state
machinery that saw:
·
The
shooting with live ammunition at a crowd of unarmed civilians who were marching into town in
Highfield;
·
the
arrest of the MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai, and Secretary-General, Welshman
Ncube;
·
the
arrest of the Mayor of Bulawayo, Japhet Ndabeni
Ncube;
·
the
arrest in Masvingo of Member of Parliament for Masvingo Central, Silas Mangono,
and Jobert Mudzumwe, a member of the MDC National Executive Committee together
with 23 other people participating in a peaceful
march;
·
the
arrest of Member of Parliament for Harare East, Tendai Biti and 5 other citizens
participating in a peaceful demonstration at Africa Unity
Square;
·
the
arrest of Member of Parliament for St. Mary’s, Job Sikhala and Charlton Hwende
in Harare;
·
the
arrest of Mpopoma Member of Parliament, Milton
Gwetu;
·
the
arrest of MDC Chairman for Bulawayo, Abraham
Mhlongwa;
·
the
arrest of hundreds of other unnamed peace-loving Zimbabweans who attempted to
peacefully march to express their displeasure at the regime that has caused them
a lot of suffering;
·
the
tear-gassing and beating up of students at the University of Zimbabwe by the
army and police.
All
this will not deter the people of Zimbabwe.
What
is left is for the people to press on for the next four days with the complete
stay away from work and massive demonstrations. People must all remain resolute.
The end is in sight. Victories against this dictatorship must continue to
multiply, and that can only happen if we remain courageous and with a unity of
purpose.
Every
one of us has an obligation for a better tomorrow for our children. We must
fight to remove hunger. We must fight to remove corruption. We must fight to
remove violence.
Professor
Welshman Ncube
MDC
Secretary General
JUSTICE FOR AGRICULTURE PR COMMUNIQUE - June 2, 2003
Just a reminder that
the JAG hot lines are operative on a 24 hour basis
over the coming days and
the JAG team will be available to meet farmers in
emergency situations that
may warrant it:
Harare:
J. Worsley-Worswick 011-612595
W. Hart
011-207860
P. Worsley-Worswick 011-205375
B. Freeth
011-863354
Bulawayo:
D. Connolly 011-431068
P. Goosen
011-420709
W. Robinson 091-236448
Email: justice@telco.co.zw; justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
Internet:
www.justiceforagriculture.com
News24
G8 worried about Zim
02/06/2003 21:59 - (SA)
Evian,
France - G8 leaders are concerned about mounting violence in Zimbabwe
and may
issue a statement urging the government to respect the right to
protest,
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Monday.
The G8 is
"concerned by acts of violence committed by the Zimbabwean state
against its
people" and "calls on the government of Zimbabwe to respect the
right to
public protest," Berlusconi said, citing a draft joint statement.
Leaders
from the Group of Eight major world powers attending their annual
summit in
the French resort of Evian also called on the five sponsors of the
New
Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) to help facilitate a
"peaceful
solution" to the crisis gripping Zimbabwe, Berlusconi
told
reporters.
The five Nepad sponsors are Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria,
Senegal and South
Africa.
Ruling party militias ran riot in the
Zimbabwe capital Harare, while police
beat protesters and fired tear gas as
opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
arrested was after he vowed to lead an
anti-government strike.
Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC), was
later released, but police arrested scores of
other opposition officials
across the southern African country.
News24
Zim gearing for fresh violence
02/06/2003 21:38 -
(SA)
Liesl Louw
Pretoria - Zimbabwe is gearing up for fresh
violence on the second day of a
mass stayaway organised by the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC).
On Monday chaos erupted when
thousands of protesters were dispersed by
police using bullets, teargas,
sjamboks and batons.
At one point police opened fire on demonstrators and
at least three MDC
members were wounded.
Air force helicopters and
President Robert Mugabe's feared youth brigades
were deployed to track down
groups of protesters.
A number of MDC supporters, including party leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, were
arrested. He was later released.
About 78
people throughout the country were reported arrested or missing.
They include
Bulawayo mayor Japhet Nabeni-Ncube and three MDC members
of
parliament.
Security forces early on Monday surrounded the
university campus and
manhandled students to prevent them from taking part in
the protest.
MDC economic advisor Eddie Cross said he saw people being
assaulted left and
right. "It was very rough," said Cross.
"The idea
was for people to move out of residential areas in small groups
and gather
south of the city centre for the demonstration. It was very
difficult because
security forces sealed off the place and kept
firing
teargas."
"Wherever three or four people were seen together
they were assaulted."
Apart from the massive security presence,
commercial centres were almost
deserted and the stayaway was described as
highly successful.
ZBC
MDC's march a flop
3 June 2003
The intended opposition MDC
led illegal march failed to take off as people
did not turn up to
participate.
MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was arrested for defying the
high court order
issued at the weekend declaring the march
illegal.
Police spokesperson superintendent Oliver Mandipaka confirmed
Tsvangirai's
arrest and said police are also keen to interview MDC Secretary
General
Welshman Ncube in connection with the same case.
Tsvangirai
was arrested and is expected to give a warned and cautioned
statement
following a press briefing he gave to journalists and published in
the
oppositional Daily news indicating that he was going to defy the high
court
order barring his intended illegal march.
While life was as normal in
most urban and rural centers countrywide, the
situation improved in Harare
and Bulawayo which experienced slow starts due
to transport
problems.
The public has expressed satisfaction at the police and the
military for
being out in full force enforcing the high court order which
declared
illegal the opposition MDC organized march.
Most people
interviewed by Newsnet said this will enable them to go about
their normal
activities.
Commuters in Harare told Newsnet that they were not happy
that the National
Railways of Zimbabwe did not increase their train runs to
alleviate the
situation.
They, however expressed appreciation to Zupco
and indigenous bus operators
among them Tenda, Chawasarira, Power coach,
Mhiripiri, Blue sea and Kukura
Kurerwa for ferrying them to work.
In
Bulawayo, British owned financial institutions, Barclays bank and
Standard
Chartered bank and two indigenous owned banks, Jewel bank and
Metropolitan
bank opened early as usual.
The Newsnet Bulawayo hotline was innundated
with irate callers who said they
are sick and ired of the government owned
financial institutions such as
Zimbank, POSB and Agribank which failed to
open their banking halls in the
morning.
SOKWANELE
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
2 June 2003
Zimbabwe Press Release 9 (1500
hrs)
Bulawayo
Reports have just come in that Bulawayo’s MDC
Mayor, Mr. Japhet Ndabeni – Ncube, has been detained at Central Police
Station.
Hwange
20 Activists have been arrested in the
District.
Victoria Falls
Further report just in: Three people are missing
after being picked up by the police in the town today. They are Ephraim Sithole, Siandebe and
Nkululeko Nyoni, the younger brother of the MDC Member of Parliament for Hwange
East.
Police are traveling around the town with
instructions to report to their seniors in Harare, all businesses that are
closed, as “they will be shut down permanently”
