Anti-govt protests spread to rural areas

PUBLIC anger against President Robert Mugabe’s regime is spreading fast to rural areas with villagers in Macheke, Mashonaland East province, taking part in the #Zimbabwe Yadzoka anti-government protests, last Friday.

Source: Anti-govt protests spread to rural areas – NewsDay Zimbabwe August 8, 2016

BY OBEY MANAYITI

#Zimbabwe Yadzoka is part of the #Tajamuka/Sesijikile group that has given Mugabe sleepless nights over the past weeks piling pressure on him to step down over government’s failed economic policies.

Victor Chimhutu, co-ordinator of #Zimbabwe Yadzoka, said they had extended the campaign to outlying areas to keep the populace informed on latest socio-political developments.

“We are a non-political organisation. We are just here to give rural people civic education telling them about what is going on in the country. We have come here to ask from the people and also provide them with information and what we see is that the issues articulated and expressed under #Tajamuka/Sesijikile and under #ThisFlag in urban areas are also resonating in rural areas,” Chimhutu said.

“Issues raised here are that people need jobs, they need good leadership and that the current leadership has failed.”

Villagers in Macheke said they were also bearing the brunt of economic hardships.

“As women we face so many challenges. We are failing to fend for our families and we cannot afford three meals a day. Our children are being chased out of school because we are failing to pay school fees, and we cannot finance income-generating projects. We can do poultry or buying and selling, but we don’t have capital. People here are even afraid of freely expressing their political views because there is a lot of intimidation,” a villager Joice Morris said.

Another villager, Derina Bonde said she was motivated to join the protest march because of the hardships she was facing as a result of mis-governance in the country.

“I am a widow with five minor children and we survive on piece jobs which do not have guarantee for payment,” she said, adding that cases of domestic violence were on the rise because of poverty. Ester Mutsauka urged other villagers to overcome fear and press on with their demands. They also voiced their concerns over government’s plan to introduce bond notes.