Police block World Teachers Day event in Masvingo

By Tererai Karimakwenda
06 October 2006

The entire leadership of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) were detained for most of the day Friday by police in Masvingo as they prepared to attend World Teachers Day commemorations. The event had been organised by the PTUZ but was to take place at the offices of The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in Masvingo. The Secretary General of the PTUZ Raymond Majongwe said police had cordoned off the streets in the area and made it impossible for the event to continue. Teachers attempting to gather Friday morning were blocked from reaching the venue and were threatened by police. The arrested leaders including Majongwe and PTUZ president Takavafirei Zhou were released without charge Friday afternoon.

Majongwe criticised the police for applying the law selectively by allowing the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) to continue with their commemorations just a few hundred metres away from the ZCTU offices hosting the PTUZ. Refusing to comment on why ZIMTA had been favoured Majongwe said the police action was a deliberate attempt to disrupt their activities. He also said police told them they would shoot and make them disappear if they insisted on holding the commemorations. “This is Masvingo not Harare” Majongwe quoted the police.

Reports indicate that police surrounded the ZCTU offices and closed off the road leading to them beginning the night before the event. Their presence combined with the threats of assault caused teachers to disperse before the celebration of World Teachers Day.

According to the ZCTU spokesman Mlamleli Sibanda, the police wanted to know why the PTUZ had invited the Mayor of Masvingo as a guest speaker. He said they also asked why the PTUZ was using the ZCTU boardroom. World Teachers Day is an annual and international event meant for teachers to come together to discuss their profession. But the government of Robert Mugabe has been paranoid and afraid that any gathering might turn into a violent protest as Zimbabweans continue to call for a new constitution and free and fair elections.

The ZCTU leaders were brutalised by police while in custody last month after they attempted to gather for a demonstration in Harare. This has not stopped them from organizing other activities and has strengthened their resolve. As for the PTUZ, Majongwe said teachers will remain resilient.