Zimbabwe opposition leader takes to the streets

By Violet Gonda
1 September 2006

MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai and his national executive caught the police off guard on Friday and marched from their party headquarters at Harvest House to hand over a petition demanding a better deal for Zimbabweans, at Parliament in Harare. Officials at Parliament closed their offices and the leadership had to leave a copy of the petition at the building for the attention of the Speaker of Parliament.

More than 500 people joined the 50 members of the national executive who were holding placards and chanting slogans. Freelance journalist Gift Phiri said the placards had messages demanding better pay for all workers, including the police and the army and also demanding food and jobs, while other messages made it clear that the recent currency changes could not address the basic problems facing the economy.

There were no arrests as the police were taken by surprise as the opposition party had not made their plans known to the authorities.

In a statement the Tsvangirai MDC said; “Today’s occasion was just a warning shot; a harbinger of more protracted, nationwide and decentralized response by the people of Zimbabwe to express their need for a free, prosperous and democratic society.”

The statement went on to say that Friday’s demonstration was a show of commitment by the leadership to lead from the front in the people’s struggle for a new Zimbabwe and that the MDC roadmap to a peaceful resolution to the national crisis has key signposts. These included a new people-driven Constitution, free and fair elections under international supervision, and a reconstruction and stabilization package in a post-transitional era.