WOZA

WOZA took the ‘Stand Up for your Child’ campaign to communities in 
Harare and Chitungwiza on Saturday.

Members of WOZA and MOZA held four community-based protests in Harare and Chitungwiza, taking to the streets of Domboramwari, Glen View, Kuwadzana and Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza.

In Domboramwari, 100 women and men marched from the main water point to the shopping centre, carrying balloons that read ‘Stand Up for Your Child’ and handing out flyers urging people to vote in the coming elections. The group chanted slogans in the shopping centre for some time before dispersing without incident.

In Chitungwiza, approximately 150 people marched several hundred 
metres to Makoni Shopping Centre, again handing out flyers and 
generating much excitement from the Saturday-morning shoppers. The 
song being sung in Shona by the marchers was, our children want food, 
schooling - police, if you harass them, we will be on your backs.

In Glen View, a group of approximately 50 people began marching from 
Glen View 3 Shopping Centre. It soon became clear however that the 
balloons and the flyers being handed out, which include children’s 
games, were causing great excitement amongst the children in the area 
and many children rushed to join in the procession. As more and more 
joined in, it was decided to disperse the procession before 
it reached the agreed end point as there were concerns for the welfare 
of the children should police approach.

The final demonstration of the day was held in Kuwadzana where about 
75 women and men marched for several hundred metres to Kuwadzana 
Shopping Centre. Again the peaceful group, with its carnival 
atmosphere, attracted great attention from shoppers in the market and 
in the centre. Bicycle police were observed attending the scene 
shortly after the crowd dispersed. The song being sung in Shona by the 
marchers was a duet by WOZA and MOZA. The song depicted a child asking their parent to pay school fees and both parents saying there was no 
money, with the father saying he only had enough money for one pint of 
beer.

The peaceful protests were to urge people to ‘Stand up for your Child’ 
and to encourage Zimbabweans to vote and to vote wisely for candidates 
that will deliver a future for the children. WOZA has taken a position 
to mobilise Zimbabweans to vote for any candidate that they feel will 
deliver social justice rather than follow blindly party loyalties.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police in clear contravention of 
their powers under the new Public Order Security Act (POSA), banned 
toyi-toying yet did not seem to pay too much undue notice to the 
peaceful WOZA demonstrations.

Ends

For more information, please contact either Jenni Williams on +263 912 
300 456 or +263 912 898 110, Magodonga Mahlangu on +263 912 363 668 or 
Annie Sibanda on +263 912 898 112.