By Lance Guma
11 June
2008
Non-Governmental Organisations in the country have vowed to defy a
government ban on their activities and say they will continue to serve the
developmental needs of the population. Last week Mugabe's regime ordered
humanitarian groups to stop distributing food aid, accusing them of pursuing
a regime change agenda by campaigning for the opposition. The move drew a
chorus of criticism from the international community and aid groups who said
Zanu PF was looking for scapegoats to blame for their March 29 election
defeat to the MDC.
On Tuesday over 65 NGO's resolved to defy what
they believe is an 'illegal'
directive, issued by Labour and Social Welfare
Minister Nicholas Goche.
Speaking to Newsreel Wednesday Fambai Ngirande, a
spokesman for the National
Association of Non-Governmental Organisations,
said their allegiance lay
with the people they served and not the
government. Ngirande said there was
no provision in the law for the Minister
to suspend the operations of NGO's
in the country. Under the relevant
legislation only the Private Voluntary
Organisations Board can suspend an
executive committee of an NGO.
The groups have in principle vowed not to
re-apply for registration, as set
out by the government circular - 'the
circular is illegal' as far as they
are concerned. It also looks likely that
a legal showdown is looming after
the offices of Gweru Agenda and Zimbabwe
Civic Education Trust in Gweru,
were forced to close down by the police who
cited the government circular.
Ngirande says the two closures might form the
basis of a test case in the
courts to challenge the government ban.
Meanwhile some local authorities in
the country have received the government
circular and are now said to be
hampering the work of NGO's in their
areas.
SW Radio Africa Zimbabwe news
Reuters
Wed 11 Jun
2008, 16:57 GMT
By Robert Evans
GENEVA, June 11 (Reuters) - Labour
unions from southern Africa on Wednesday
called on the regional organisation
SADC to send peace-keepers to Zimbabwe
to ensure presidential elections take
place democratically.
A statement from the main worker bodies in eight
countries also called on
the 15 SADC governments to mount "vigilant
monitoring" of the June 27
run-off vote and to make sure United Nations and
other observers could also
be on the spot.
"The workers in the region
cannot allow the election and the expression of
the people of Zimbabwe
through the ballot box to be stolen," said the
statement, read at a news
conference by Swaziland's labour federation leader
Jan Sithole.
It
said President Robert Mugabe's government was continuing to "aggressively
violate" U.N. labour pacts with "malicious police violence, brutality,
arrests and detentions of trade union leaders, activists and human rights
defenders."
The president and secretary-general of the Zimbabwe trade
union organisation
were recently imprisoned for 10 days and then released
under bail terms that
prevented them from carrying out their work or
travelling, the statement
added.
The stance of the worker delegates,
in Geneva for the annual Conference of
the International Labour Organisation
(ILO), contrasted sharply with that of
political leaders of SADC, the
Southern African Development Community.
These have preferred to avoid
openly criticising Mugabe and work through the
"quiet diplomacy" championed
by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.
Lesotho's Prime Minister
Pakalitha Mososili told another news conference the
sovereignty of Zimbabwe
must be respected.
Mososili said he understood there was "no way" that
the run- off poll
between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
could be rigged.
His argument was rejected at the workers' briefing by
Alina Rantsolase of
the Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU. "The
first round was
already rigged," she declared.
Sithole, who said the
group was also speaking on behalf of the Zimbabwe
union leaders, told
reporters its stance was backed at the ILO by worker and
employer bodies
from all continents.
The only objection came from Cuba, which defended
Mugabe -- while official
Zimbabwe government delegates sat in the gallery to
avoid having to speak.
"It is very sad to see Cuba behaving in this way,"
said another African
worker representative at the news conference. "They
supported South
Africans' struggle against apartheid, but now they are
backing Mugabe's
repressive regime."
The statement -- signed by union
bodies from Zambia, Botswana, South Africa,
Swaziland, Malawi, Angola,
Lesotho and Mozambique -- blamed SADC's "passive
strategy" on human rights
issues for the situation in Zimbabwe. (Editing by
Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Matthew
Jones)
FROM THE
ZIMBABWE VIGIL
PRESS RELEASE - 10th June 2008
Zimbabweans appeal to
South Africa
Exiled Zimbabweans are to demonstrate outside the South
African High
Commission in London on Thursday 12th June in protest at the
South African
government's policy on Zimbabwe. They will present a petition
expressing
horror at the recent xenophobic violence in South Africa in which
more than
60 foreigners were killed and thousands chased out of South
Africa.
A copy of the petition was handed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Nobel peace
laureate, at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London on Monday
9th June.
Archbishop Tutu described the situation in Zimbabwe as a nightmare
and asked
forgiveness on behalf of the people of South Africa for the
violence against
foreigners.
The petition reads: "A Petition to Thabo
Mbeki: Following the recent attacks
on Zimbabweans and other foreign
nationals in South Africa we, the
undersigned, call on President Mbeki to
take action to ensure the safety of
these endangered people and bring the
perpetrators to justice. We urge
President Mbeki to end his support of
President Mugabe, allowing a
resolution of the Zimbabwe crisis and the
return home of exiled Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwean blood is at your
door."
The petition was signed by people passing by the Zimbabwe Vigil on
Saturday
7th June and by people attending the St Martin-in-the-Fields church
gathering attended by Archbishop Tutu.
The text of the letter to
Thabo Mbeki reads: "We have been horrified by the
recent xenophobic attacks
on Zimbabweans and other foreigners in South
Africa and enclose a petition
signed on Saturday 7th June by people passing
by the Zimbabwe Vigil, which
has been demonstrating outside the Zimbabwe
Embassy, London, every Saturday
for the past 6 years The situation can only
get worse if Zanu PF is allowed
to cling to power. More and more Zimbabweans
will have no choice but to
flee. We believe there is a crisis in Zimbabwe
and that you can help resolve
it. We pray to God you will rise to this
challenge."
Event: Protest
against South African government's policy on Zimbabwe
Venue: Outside the
South African High Commission, Trafalgar Square, London
Date / time: 12 noon
- 2 pm, Thursday 12th June 2008
Photo Opportunities: Zimbabwean singing and
drumming
Further information: Contact Rose Benton (07970 996 003, 07932 193
467) and
Dumi Tutani (07960 039 775)
As well as the Saturday Vigils,
the Zimbabwe Vigil's plans include.
· Service of Solidarity with Torture
Survivors of Zimbabwe, Thursday 26th
June 4 - 5.30 pm on UN International
Day in Support of Victims of Torture
organised by the Zimbabwe Human Rights
NGO Forum supported by the Vigil.
Venue: St Paul's Church, Bedford Street,
Covent Garden WC2E 9ED. All welcome
to join the service and post-service
procession to lay flowers on the steps
of the Zimbabwe Embassy.
·
Zimbabwe Vigil's mock Presidential Run-off. Friday 27th June 10 am - 4 pm
outside the Zimbabwe Embassy.
· Mandela 90th Birthday Concert. Friday
27th June, 4 pm in Hyde Park. Vigil
supporters to attend the event with
banners reading "Speak out Mandela" and
"What about Zimbabwe?"
Vigil
Co-ordinators
The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London,
takes place
every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross
violations of
human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil
which started in
October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored,
free and fair
elections are held in Zimbabwe. www.zimvigil.co.uk
June 11, 2008 Crowds throng the pavement outside Harvest House to see Morgan
Tsvangirai’s campaign bus. By Our Correspondent HARARE - Business ground to a halt along Nelson Mandela Avenue in the
vicinity of Harvest House in downtown Harare, when Movement for Democratic
Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai arrived at his party’s headquarters aboard a
brand new election campaign bus. The 60-seater bus resplendent in the MDC’s bright red colour and with the
legend “Morgan is the one” emblazoned along the sides, was launched Wednesday. A
novel departure from Zimbabwe’s rather staid political campaigning, the bus
immediately attracted hundreds of people who rushed to catch a glimpse of the
MDC leader as he emerged. MDC officials said the unveiling of the bus, two weeks before the
presidential election, was part of the MDC’s new campaign strategy in the face
of the ban imposed by the police on the party’s rallies. Last week Tsvangirai
was detained twice in Matebeleland in the south-western regions of Zimbabwe as
he made his way to scheduled campaign rallies. He was released without charges
being laid against him in each case. The police impounded a BMW X5 sports utility vehicle which he was traveling
in. Tsvangirai attracted large crowds in Nkayi, Lupane and Esigodini in
Matabeleland. As his bus approached Harvest House on Wednesday crowds cheered and chanted
MDC slogans. Tsvangirai made a brief impromptu speech amid chants proclaiming
victory for him on June 27. MDC officials were forced to cancel a scheduled press conference as the
safety of the crowd had become compromised. It is against Zimbabwean law for a
large number of people to gather without prior police authorization. Tsvangirai later travelled to the town of Norton, 50 kilometres west of
Harare, where he conducted a “walkabout”, another new MDC campaign strategy
during which the MDC leader meets people as he walks on the street. As another
large crowd quickly developed he departed for the Midlands city of Kwekwe. Tsvangirai meets incumbent President Robert Mugabe in two weeks on June 27 in
a second round of voting within three months. He shocked Mugabe by beating him
in the presidential election held on March 29. After withholding the election
results from announcement for five weeks the Zimbabwe Election Commission
finally announced that while he was the victorious candidate Tsvangirai had not
secured the required majority to form the next government. Tsvangirai polled 47,9 percent of the popular vote, white Mugabe won 43,2. In
terms of the Electoral Act a second round of elections was immediately
announced. While the Act stipulates that a run-off will be conducted within 21
days of the announcement of the presidential election result, in the event that
no clear winner emerges, the forthcoming election is scheduled for 90 days after
that announcement. A third candidate, former Finance Minister, Dr Simba Makoni,
was heavily defeated, garnering only eight percent of the vote. Since his loss Makoni has vigorously campaigned for a scrapping of the second
presidential election, while calling for a government of national unity. Before the election result was announced there was an outbreak of politically
inspired violence, mostly in those rural constituencies which were once Zanu-PF
strongholds, but which defected to support Tsvangirai and the MDC on March
29. The campaign of brutal violence started soon after a military deployment
throughout rural Zimbabwe. Victims and witnesses allege the perpetrators of the
now widespread violence have been dressed in military fatigues. The MDC accuses
government of unleashing violence to punish the rural electorate for voting
against Zanu-PF on March 29 and to intimidate them not to vote for the MDC on
June 27. Mugabe and his officials, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa in
particular, accuse the MDC of inciting the violence. Meanwhile the police have placed a blanket ban on MDC rallies amid growing
evidence that President Mugabe’s chances of a political come-back are fast
diminishing, even as the electorate is brutalised.
http://www.zimbabwejournalists.com
11th
Jun 2008 12:46 GMT
By a
Correspondent
HARARE - Binga Police in Zimbabwe 's Matabeleland North
province on 8 June
2008 arrested and detained Abel Chikomo, Maureen
Kademaunga and Abel
Kaingidza who are employed by the Media Monitoring
Project of Zimbabwe
(MMPZ) and accused them of holding a public meeting
without police
clearance.
The three together with other 10 members of
the MMPZ's Public Information
Rights Forum (PIRF) who are in custody in
Binga are expected to appear in
court on 11 June 2008.
MMPZ
Co-ordinator Andy Moyse confirmed their arrest together with that of
the
other 10 local members of the PIRF and said that the meeting in question
was
not a public meeting but a professional meeting which did not require
notification or clearance with the police in terms of the Public Order and
Security Act (POSA).
"They are expected in court today," he said.
Moyse said their lawyers only
managed to access the detained MMPZ employees
and its PIRF members on 10
June 2008 following the intervention of police
officers from Hwange Police's
law and order section.
The MMPZ is an
independent Trust that promotes freedom of expression and
responsible
journalism in Zimbabwe. It does this through monitoring and
analysis of news
and current affairs produced by both the print and
electronic media and its
findings are made public through publication of
weekly media updates.
The Zimbabwean
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 09:10
Date: 10 June
2008
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has learnt that Zanu
PF
supporters and War Veterans yesterday, 09 June 2008, stormed Gokwe
offices
belonging to the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), an
affiliate of the ZCTU, and ordered that the union cease business. After
ransacking the office and taking undisclosed items, the War Veterans who
numbered about 15, locked the offices. The incident happened at around
0845hrs.
According to PTUZ general secretary, Raymond Majongwe,
said the
beatings started on Friday 6 June 2008 when one of their member,
was abucted
at Gokwe Centre and held captive for more than nine hours. Then
on Saturday
7, June 2008, some war veterans severely beat up PTUZ Gokwe
Coordinator,
Moses Mhaka. They took away his identify document and other
personal
documents. Mhaka is a full-time staff member of the PTUZ.
The ZCTU believes that PTUZ is being targeted in the current wave of
violence because the ruling party, Zanu PF lost in Gokwe during the last
Harmonised elections.
Last Tarabuku
Acting Information
Officer
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
P.O Box
3549
Harare, Zimbabwe
Embassy, Canada's Foreign Policy Newsweekly
Embassy, June 11th,
2008
EDITORIAL
As the world
sits on the sidelines, Zimbabwe is descending into an ever
deeper hellhole
from which it will take a great deal of future intervention
to extract
it.
Robert Mugabe has crossed the line from repressive strong man to
psychopathic dictator as he and his lieutenants have abandoned all pretences
of democracy to cling to power.
Last week, Mugabe's government banned
opposition rallies while security
forces detained his primary challenger,
Morgan Tsvangirai, and stepped up a
campaign of violence that has left at
least 65 dead as the country prepares
for runoff presidential
elections.
Meanwhile, the government has ordered all aid organizations
out of the
country, alleging they are supporting the opposition, even as
millions of
Zimbabweans, facing astronomical inflation rates, scrounge to
find crumbs to
feed themselves.
The Mugabe government has also
started targeting foreign diplomats,
detaining several American and British
envoys last week as they tried to
visit victims of political
violence.
On June 4, Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson released a
statement
condemning the detention of Tsvangirai and another opposition
leader, Arthur
Mutambara.
"Canada is alarmed by the campaign of
political intimidation, human rights
violations and politically motivated
violence," the statement said. "We are
appalled by the reports of torture
and extrajudicial killings committed,
overwhelmingly, by state security and
paramilitary groups."
Mr. Emerson went on to demand the Mugabe government
"protect its citizens
from all forms of intimidation and violence" while
saying that Zimbabweans
deserve an "open and transparent election
process."
With dozens of opposition members and supporters dead and a
full-fledged
campaign of violence underway, the idea Mugabe will protect
Zimbabweans from
intimidation and violence and deliver an open and
transparent election
process is laughable.
What is truly needed is a
robust response. True, Western intervention in
Zimbabwe is extremely
difficult, especially since Mugabe is still regarded
as the man who
delivered the country from white rule, and he has defended
his strong-arm
tactics by declaring he is fighting neo-colonialism.
But the dangers that
Mugabe poses not only to his people, but also stability
in the sub-Saharan
region-which is home to almost $1 billion in Canadian
direct investments in
Zimbabwe and surrounding countries-should now be
apparent. Canada and the
Conservative government, which is trying to style
itself a defender of human
rights and democracy, must do more than issue a
pro forma
statement.
The effects of the crisis are already starting to spill over
into
surrounding countries. Last month saw widespread violence in South
Africa,
where poor South Africans, disillusioned 14 years after the end of
apartheid, have turned their anger on Zimbabwean refugees who have
unwittingly jumped from the pan into the fire.
The idea of invoking
the Responsibility to Protect may seem farfetched, but
it would be a great
deal easier to do in Zimbabwe than Burma, where China
holds sway.
If
years of misrule that have led to economic devastation are not proof
enough,
the campaign Mugabe and his security forces are now waging to hold
onto
power should have the world realizing this madman has lost the right to
rule. Canada could take the initiative and push for intervention at the
UN.
Given the threat Zimbabwe poses to their stability, other countries
in the
region could be tapped to take the lead and actually contribute
troops to
ensure the inevitable allegations that neo-colonial aspirations
are driving
the agenda are put to rest.
There are other actions
Canada can take, such as providing assistance to
Zimbabweans who have fled
to countries like South Africa and are now being
targeted by mobs. Canada
provides similar assistance for Burmese refugees
living on the border with
Thailand. Not only will this help desperate people
who have nowhere to turn,
but it will promote stability in South Africa and,
if done right, start
building a foundation for a future without Mugabe.
But the immediate
imperative is getting the world to realize that it must
stop Zimbabwe's
transformation into a failed state. The United States and
Britain can't do
this. Canada can, and should, be doing more.
The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
EDITORIAL
11
June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008
As Zimbweans, their
neighbours, other Africans and the rest of the world
eagerly await the
presidential election run-off pitting Mr Robert Mugabe
against MDC's Morgan
Tsvangrai on June 27, there are is a worrying upsurge
in
violence.
The main target is, of course, the opposition supporters, with
some key
activists slain by pro-government mobs in recent
days.
The unrest continues a particularly bad period for a country
that has been
engulfed in a bitter political feud.
Human Rights Watch
is warning of a terribly delicate situation and urging
the African Union to
intervene before this degenerates into a full-scare
war.
We in
Tanzania, are watching the developments with keen interest, having
contributed immensely to the independence struggle in Zimbabwe, which
brought President Mugabe to power in 1980.
Our two countries have had
a long history of brotherhood and the pathetic
situation in Zimbabwe today
touches the hearts of Tanzanians.
The HRW report launched last Monday
tells of police brutality against the
opposition in an evil scheme called
'Operation Where Did You Put You Vote?'
targeting those opposed to freedom
fighter turned dictator Mugabe.
We urge the AU chairman, President Jakaya
Kikwete, to extend his famed
diplomatic skills to avert the low-scale civil
war in Zimbabwe.
But more important, he should mobilise efforts to ensure
that the election
is somewhat free.
There is deep animosity between
the two groups, but Zimbabwe is greater than
all of them.
It's
important to impress upon President Mugabe to accept defeat should he
lose.
The same should apply to Mr Tsvangirai, if he fairly loses,
though the
playing ground is already tilted against him.
Toronto Star
Jun 11, 2008
04:30 AM
Carol Goar
At 6, Betty Makoni was raped. She was a child
labourer, selling candles in
her village. A neighbour invited her and nine
other girls into his house,
locked them in a room and sexually violated each
one.
That was her introduction to life as a female in Zimbabwe.
At
7, she asked her mother why women never spoke out when men brutalized
them.
"Sh!" her mother warned. "These things are private."
At 9, after one
particularly vicious episode of domestic abuse, she lost her
mother.
"I grew up with questions and anger," she said. "But I was a
clever girl. I
started to fight."
She fought her way through school.
She fought to protect her siblings. She
fought to become
self-supporting.
At 24, with two university degrees, she got a job as a
teacher. "I felt
strongly that one day I would break the silence about
rape."
The chance came sooner than she expected. Barely had she settled
into the
classroom when the girls started dropping out. Over the school
year,
two-thirds stopped coming. They'd been raped, infected with AIDS,
turned
into outcasts.
So Makoni started a club where girls could talk
about their lives and learn
to defend themselves. Ten girls attended the
first meeting. But word spread
quickly. Before long, girls' clubs were
popping up in schools across
Zimbabwe.
By 1999, there were so many
clubs that Makoni gave up her teaching job to
run the Girl Child Network.
There are now 689 clubs and three "empowerment
villages" where survivors of
rape can seek refuge and rehabilitation.
The network has helped more than
60,000 girls and women in its nine-year
history. The youngest was a
1-day-old baby. The oldest was 94.
"As I speak now, I know a woman is
getting killed in Zimbabwe," Makoni said
this week at briefing hosted by the
Stephen Lewis Foundation. "There's a
silent genocide going on."
The
Girl Child Network is one of more than 100 grassroots organizations
supported by the foundation Lewis established five years ago. The former UN
Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa was so devastated by what he saw and so
frustrated by the world's lethargic response, that he decided to pour his
passion and eloquence into raising money for groups on the front lines in
Africa.
Lewis describes Makoni as "a powerful and leading figure in
her country."
She describes herself as a victim who became a leader because
no one else
would help Zimbabwe's girls.
She has been jailed. She
receives death threats constantly. Her husband, an
engineer, worries about
her safety.
In an interview, Makoni shared a letter she had just received
from one of
her supporters. "Please don't come back (to Zimbabwe)," it says.
"Things are
worse. People are being beaten to death."
She will go
back, after a conference organized by the Stephen Lewis
Foundation to raise
global awareness of "sexual terrorism" in Africa. It
will bring together
doctors and trauma counsellors and aid experts.
Makoni will speak as a
victim, a survivor, a teacher and a mother.
But she is more than that.
She has changed attitudes in Zimbabwe in a way
that no one thought possible.
Girls who attend her clubs know how to say no
to boys who demand sex. They
don't retreat into the kitchen or lower their
gaze in the presence of men.
Their body language is confident and assertive.
If necessary, they can fight
aggressively.
They compete vigorously with boys in school. So many have
gone on to become
doctors, lawyers, teachers and community leaders that
fathers now urge their
daughters to join the network.
"We are
challenging the whole patriarchal structure," Makoni says.
She remembers
the nine girls with whom she was raped 31 years ago. None
lived to tell the
story.
She visits her mother's grave whenever she can. "I always tell
her: `There
was nothing you could have done. But I can.'"
And she
thinks she hears her mother say: "Go girl."
Carol Goar's column
appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
From BOPA (Botswana), 10 June
By Sereki Mpitse
Francistown - About 308
Zimbabwean asylum seekers have so far been granted
refugee status at the
Dukwi Refugee Camp and the number continues to
increase. This week, about 90
more Zimbabweans asylum seekers would be
assessed by the refugee advisory
committee at the Francistown Centre for
Illegal Immigrants. The Deputy
Settlement Commandant at the Dukwi Refugee
Camp, Mr Thuso Wasetso, told BOPA
that the number however excludes the 120
Zimbabwean refugees who came before
their country's March 29 presidential
elections. Mr Wasetso said more
Zimbabwean asylum seekers were coming into
Botswana through different
centres. He said that although Zimbabwe was going
for a presidential run-off
on June 27, 'no refugee has shown interest of
going back to vote'. 'All what
we are doing is to assist them in settling
until they are granted permanent
refugee status by the Minister of Home
Affairs.' Mr Wasetso said an
orientation by various authorities such as
police, education and health has
been held at the Dukwi Camp. Families who
want their children to be
integrated into schools have been identified and
would be helped out. He
stated that refugees are given permits whenever they
go out of the camp, for
their safety and that they should not be harassed by
law
officials.
Asked whether the refugees were indeed asylum seekers, Mr
Wasetso said and
assessment was conducted by UNHCR and Refugee Advisory
Committee, 'and
therefore we have to respect their conclusion.' The
Zimbabwean ambassador,
Mr Thomas Mandigora, to Botswana recently told the
news media that some of
the refugees were not asylum seekers but economic
refugees. The refugees on
the other hand said they fled Zimbabwe fearing for
their lives and explained
that the ambassador had to defend his party. 'I
have seen my relatives and
friends beaten, and therefore nobody can say I
willingly wanted to come and
stay in the camp. It is not nice to be in a
foreign country,' said Mr Norman
Manda. Mr Manda who said was still
traumatized by a series of beatings by
Zanu PF to MDC supporters said he
would go back when the situation has
calmed. Some asylum seekers at the camp
have complained of cold weather,
saying that blankets were not enough. But,
despite these conditions some
have vowed that they would not return to
Zimbabwe under the 'Mugabe regime.'
'We don't want to die, they have killed
my husband and you think I can go
back? said Ms Mellita Moyo. Almost all the
refugees were pessimistic about
the June 27 presidential election re-run
saying President Mugabe would do
anything to cling to power.
Zim Eye
Zimbabwe
Electricity Supply Authority ZESA area manager for Chiredzi Town,
Dumisani
Hapazari was on Monday found dead after being taken away by two
officers
from the Central Intelligence Organisation from his workplace last
week.
The two CIO officers took Hapazari from his offices on Tuesday
afternoon and
drove him to Gonarezhou National Park.
Hapazari's body
was discovered at Chikombedzi along the Zimbabwean border
with
Mozambique.
One of the CIO officers has been identified as Peter
Saburi.
In a similar abduction case, Chiredzi human rights doctor,
Godfrey Mugwazi
is missing after being taken away by the same CIO officers
at his surgery on
Monday.
In Buhera South, the MDC parliamentary
candidate, Julius Magarangoma had his
homestead raided by 10-armed men who
looted property, money and abducted
five of his relatives who were at the
home.
Meanwhile, MDC Gutu senator, Empire Makamure, had his vehicle burnt
to ashes
early Tuesday by suspected Zanu PF supporters and his family was
also
attacked.
Violence has been escalating since the Mach 29
elections with most murder
cases reported so far involving members of the
CIO and the army.
SUNDAY 22 JUNE 2008 AT 1PM
WESLEY
CHURCH
CORNER OF WILLIAM & HAY STREETS
The Rally will
demand:
---an end to the violence carried out by the Mugabe Regime;
---a
fair and free election in the runoff 27 June runoff between Tsvangirai
and
Mugabe which is supervised before and after the ballot by the
international
community;
---restore and increase aid to the hungry and the victims of
violence in
Zimbabwe.
A mock election will be held at the Rally for
Zimbabweans to vote for their
chosen President.
Bring
placards,signs,flags, drums,mbiras,hoshos and your family, friends and
workmates.
Stand Up For The People Of Zimbabwe
A new Zimbabwe-A new
beginning-Now is the time!
Authorized by the Zimbabwe Information Centre(WA
Branch) Contact: Paul 0438
949 898
http://www.getreading.co.uk
11/ 6/2008
The Zimbabwean community of
Reading is inviting the public to join them on a
silent walk through the
town's streets in honour of Zimbabwe's political
victims.
More than
200 Zimbabweans, dressed in black, will march in complete silence
to
highlight the crisis in their home country, and they hope hundreds of
supporters of all cultures and faiths will join them.
The walk, due
to take place on Saturday, June 21, was the idea of East
Reading artist
Robyn Appleton, 51, who is passionate about the plight of the
African
nation's people.
Mrs Appleton, whose brother-in-law is from Zimbabwe,
said: "The whole nation
must feel no one cares about them. I wanted to do
something to show we are
supporting and standing beside them.
"The
thing that got me going was when I read in the paper about Zimbabwean
food
supplies arriving in South Africa from China and the people refusing to
unload it. It's not the politics that make the difference, it's the
people."
Zimbabwe has been in political turmoil since dictator Robert
Mugabe refused
to recognise the result of presidential elections in March,
which his
opponent Morgan Tsvangirai claimed to win. Mr Mugabe has ordered a
second
election on June 27, six days after Reading's silent walk.
Mrs
Appleton is gathering support from the Reading branch of the Quakers,
members of Churches Together in Reading, and NHS care professionals, and
hopes more people will come forward.
Chair of the Zimbabwe Community
Group, Owen Muganda, added: "We are pushing
for the free will of the people,
which should be respected. Any political
violence is unacceptable and we are
highlighting what is happening on the
ground right now.
"This walk is
not a political statement, it is in honour of the victims of
political
violence in Zimbabwe. Nobody is allowed to speak out against the
regime and
if they do they are punished."
Mr Muganda, whose children are still in
Zimbabwe, said: "Many of us are
separated from our families and more people
have arrived recently, some have
come since the last elections. They tell us
what is happening, as do our
families. The will of the people is not being
respected."
Mrs Appleton added she hoped the walk highlighted, to the
British
Government, that people cared about the situation in
Zimbabwe.
She said: "I really hope and pray that things will be different
at this
second presidential election, but it will only change if people get
behind
the Zimbabweans and governments see we are serious about the plight.
If it's
going to pull votes the Government will get behind it. I'm planning
to
invite Martin Salter and Rob Wilson along on the walk."
The date
for the walk has been set provisionally as Saturday, June 21,
subject to
police permission. It will take place from 2pm to 4pm, setting
off from
Forbury Gardens and finishing at the Quaker Meeting House in London
Street.