NCA to stage peaceful protests around Zimbabwe on Wednesday

By Violet Gonda
11 July 2006

As prices continue to soar and the level of suffering worsens, Zimbabweans have been anticipating some sort of mass action. For its part the government has remained resolute about crushing any form of public dissent and incidents of torture by state agents have intensified. Although there have been threats of mass action particularly by the opposition and the umbrella labour body, no particular group has yet announced anything specific.

It is in this environment that the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) has announced that they will stage peaceful demonstrations in major cities on Wednesday.

NCA officer in the chairperson’s office Ernest Mudzenge said the demonstrations will be held in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and Masvingo. He said: “They are part of protest actions against the state of political, social and economic abuse to which the people of Zimbabwe have been exposed by the ZANU PF regime which is thriving on a flawed constitution to misgovern the country.”

He said the crisis in Zimbabwe has been brought about by several things, among them the high rate of employment, a decaying educational system, food shortages and a collapsed health delivery system.

The pressure group said the police had already started on a “witch-hunt”, harassing and arresting some of their officials. NCA information officer Columbus Mavhunga reports that Edward Sika and Ray Muzenda, the regional chairpersons for Midlands and Masvingo respectively were arrested on Monday in connection with the planned demonstrations. He said the police wanted to know who was behind the protests. The two were released on Tuesday morning but were asked to report to the police that same afternoon.

Under the draconian Public Order and Security Act police need only to be notified of demonstrations but the NCA says it has now become a waste of time informing the police. Mudzenge said: “The problem is that whenever we have informed them they have written back saying that we cannot sanction these actions.” He added: “The police are free to join as they are equally suffering. The price of bread does not discriminate between other citizens and the police.”