Zimbabwe: Dzamara – ZCTU Threatens Mass Protest

via allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Dzamara – ZCTU Threatens Mass Protest 2 May 2015

THE Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has warned government to brace for massive political and social unrest if the authorities fail to bring back “alive and unharmed” pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara.

Dzamara, who was abducted in Glen View on 9 March, remains missing despite court orders instructing government to search for and find him.

Opposition parties and rights groups have claimed that Dzamara was abducted by elements of the state security apparatus.

Addressing May Day celebrations in Harare Friday, ZCTU president George Nkiwane, said the failure to find Dzamara was an open invitation by the government for political and social unrest in the country.

“We are not in doubt that they (government) know where Dzamara is, because we have, as a nation, evidence of a lot of people who went missing for weeks and months and later emerged from a certain police station.

“So we are saying, as ZCTU and citizens of this country, the abduction and continued missing of people like Dzamara leads to problems and troubles in this country. We want him back and alive,” said Nkiwane.

Prior his abduction the journalist-cum-rights activist was staging peaceful protests against President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF government.

Nkiwane said Mugabe should accept criticism because he occupies public office.

“We have a constitution which gives and guarantees rights to Zimbabweans and we want those rights to be fully enjoyed without any infringements,” said Nkiwane.

“If you are a leader working in a public office, you must accept to be criticized because you are a public officer.

“So we are saying Dzamara wherever he is and his abductors because we know that government knows where he is. He must come back now”.

Police have issued statements seeking assistance from the public in locating Dzamara but to no avail.

However opposition parties and democracy activists have questioned the sincerity of the government given its history of dealing with dissent.