It has been confirmed that the two WOZA activists arrested yesterday at a meeting in Mutare will be kept at Sakubva Police Station over the weekend.

Having been denied food all day by the Officer-in-Charge, Rigomega, the women were finally allowed food this evening. Conditions are apparently appalling with the women complaining of lice and mosquitoes in cold, damp cells.

It is hoped that the two women will be taken to court on Monday.

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence and whilst President Mugabe pretends to the world that all is well in Zimbabwe in Lisbon, WOZA salutes the courage of the two women activists who refused to bow to the pressure and threats of police officers and who are determined to defend their right to the freedoms of assembly and expression, whatever the cost.

Please continue to call Sakubva Police Station on +263 20 64212, 64717 or 63145 or the officer-in-charge directly on +263 20 60902 to protest the arrest and continued detention of the two women.

Email:

Post: WOZA/MOZA, P.O. Box FM701, Famona, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 

Follow us @ www.twitter.com/wozazimbabwe

Or join us on Facebook for regular updates

Providing solidarity to our activists is the best way you can help. We will keep you updated via this website when our members have been arrested and what help you can provide.

WOZA also has a solidarity group in the UK, which actively provides support and solidarity. If you are interested in finding out about what they do or in joining their mailing list, you can contact them at wozasolidarity2005@yahoo.com.

Hundreds of members of WOZA and MOZA took to the streets of Bulawayo at lunchtime today, 12th February, to mark WOZA’s sixth Valentine’s Campaign. No arrests have been reported as yet.

The aim of the peaceful protest was to encourage Zimbabweans to stand up for their children in these times of extreme hardship and as an election looms. WOZA was formed in 2003 amidst severe political violence to demonstrate love and courage to all Zimbabweans. In 2008 this motivation is still equally relevant.

800 men and women processed for four city blocks through central Bulawayo, singing and handing out red roses and Valentine cards to passers-by. The response from people was exceptional with huge groups forming on pavements and motorists hooting to encourage the procession. Many people stepped forward to receive the cards and roses.

As the procession stopped for slogans outside the police administrative headquarters, bicycle police attempted to stop the procession but were informed that they would cause a pandemonium and that they should stand aside and allow the procession to reach its final destination. Those holding the banner proceeded to raise it up and over the police and continued to march.

A block later a senior ranking police officer arrived at the front of the procession and consulted with WOZA leader, Jenni Williams, who informed him that the march was under control. Obviously wanting to be reasonable, the officer allowed the group to reach their final dispersing point. He and several other officers then escorted the jubilant group to the main taxi rank to ensure that they did disperse. Later a truck load of riot police equipped with baton sticks and shields, as well as two carloads of plain-clothed officers were later observed moving through the rank. No arrests or assaults have been reported to date.

All WOZA and MOZA leaders were able to evade being arrested as they dispersed. In WOZA’s experience, it is often individual officers who try to be ‘heroes’ and arrest leaders after a call for peaceful dispersal would have already been made.

Released by: Bulawayo CSOs Zimbabwe Situation Room
Contact: Debra Mabunda: +263 772 217 052 and Jenni Williams: +263 772 898110

Press Statement: Bulawayo CSOs Zimbabwe Situation Room Launch
Zimbabwe elections have a history of being dynamic in that one can never predict how they will be conducted or whether they would be free and fair.
It is in this view that the Zimbabwe CSOs decided to come together and utilize a tool which has been used by the West African countries termed the ‘Situation Room’. This tool has been tried in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Senegal with positive results.
The principles of this tool are:
– It involves all CSOs in the country or at least as many as possible
– Its reports are ongoing. They are not about results, but about the whole process; pre-, during and post elections
– It has a coordinating team in a room. Response is immediate where necessary and possible (real-time).
– It utilizes scientific deployment of observers and monitors
– It is pro-active in crisis management work with other people on the ground to ensure all areas and issues are covered and addressed i.e. faith-based organisations, Government including ZEC, media etc
– It collects, verifies and act on data in real time

Zimbabwe Situation Rooms will be in Bulawayo and Harare to ensure coverage of the country as widely as possible and ensure that issues and incidents are dealt with at the greassroots level in real time.

The Situation Room will be issuing statements and briefs at least twice a day.
The coordinating team will be at the Holiday Inn. It will utilize all forms of communication including social media but will only issue data that is factual and verified.

The Situation Room is open and welcomes other people who have information or seek information about the elections. Members of the public are also welcome to phone or send messages on issues that are of concern to them, both good and bad.

For more information please call Civil Society Representatives on the following numbers;
Public Hotlines: 08080082, 08080034, +263 772 177 077
Visit us on: www.zimdecides.org

MEMBERS of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) enroute to vote at 6am on 31st July 2013 were surprised to see strange A4 flyers with WOZA logos thrown all around the Mpopoma suburb in Bulawayo. Members then called the WOZA leadership to notify them of the logo theft.

WOZA national Coordinator then contacted the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party secretary general who confirmed that the flyer had not been authored by her party. The MDC Tsvangirai party was also then notified through party spokesperson Nelson Chamisa that the flyer had not been authored by WOZA.

The timing of the distribution of this flyer was obviously an attempt to swing voters by once again hiding behind our WOZA skirts instead of winning the election by a good manifesto and honest campaigning.

Unfortunately, members of the MDC T party reacted to the flyer and several of our members were visited and threatened. Our members were told by these members whose names are withheld , “We will sort you out when we take over next week.” WOZA call on the MDC Tsvangirai leadership to ask the Mpopoma/ Pelandaba ward leadership to instruct members to ignore this obvious attempt by this hidden hand to cause unnecessary violence.

This is the second time the WOZA logo has been stolen and published with hate speech and discriminatory content which is obviously divisive and designed to promote violence. (see the link to the first flyer http://wozazim.org/?p=1421)

see the flyer here

MAGODONGA Mahlangu, a Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leader was to appear in Tredgold Magistrates Court on 25 September 2013 to be formally charged under the Postal and Telecommunications Act Chapter 12:05, two counts under section 88 (c ) ‘making offensive phone calls without reasonable cause for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needle anxiety’. However despite appearing in court at 8:30am, no magistrate would accept the case, one after another recusing themselves for personal reasons. The drama in court had comical moments as law and Order police officers, Mahlangu, her lawyer Nontokozo Tachiona and over 20 WOZA activist attending the court in solidarity kept traipsing in an out of various courts hoping for a hearing. As the police officers insisted Mahlangu should appear in court, justice department personnel had no option but to issue a summons for her to appear in court on Monday 30 September 2013 for trial in the hopes that a magistrate would have been found to hear the matter.

Mahlangu previously appeared in court one on this matter on 7 August 2013 wherein the magistrate advised the police to proceed by way of summons once they had their case in order. The police officers, re charged Mahlangu on Monday advising her to come to court on 25 September 2013 to appear and be formally charged.

The complainant is Gladys Dube, a ward chair of the Movement for Democratic Change lead by Morgan Tsvangirai. She alleges that Mahlangu called her on two occasions and threatened her saying, “you are a big sell out from the ruling party, we are coming to get you with police, CID personnel, if Welshman loses you will see it.” On the second occasion, she alleges that Mahlangu said “you will see it I don’t want to talk to you again”. The state paper alleges that this caused the complainant annoyance and needles anxiety.

Mahlangu does not dispute that phone calls took place but disputes that threats were made. Mahlangu and Jenni Williams the national coordinator of WOZA, made several calls to both MDC parties to advise them of a flyer being circulated in Matshobana suburb of Bulawayo on Elections day 31 Julys 2013. This flyer, whose authorship is unclear, bears stolen WOZA logos and uses the name of WOZA to de-campaign Morgan Tsvangirai. WOZA leaders realising that the timing of this mysterious flyer on Election Day could disturb the peace and so decided to be proactive in disassociating WOZA with the contents. Despite calls being made to various political leaders, including MDC T Nelson Chamisa and to David Coltart and MDC Secretary General Pricilla Msirambwe -Mushonga, Gladys Dube decided to fabricate threats and made a report to the police resulting in the charges against Magodonga Mahlangu.

The first call on was in response to a report that Gladys Dube in the company of another women had gone door to door threatening members for the flyers distribution. Mahlangu called the other women who immediately apologised when told that WOZA had not authored the flyer. Ms Dube when called denied any knowledge of the flyer or the threats on members and so she was just asked to keep calm and ignore the flyer and the call was gut short. Surprisingly she called back two hours later in the company of WOZA members who she asked to vouch for her that she had not threatened anyone and once again she was asked to just ignore the flyer and keep calm.

At a meeting of WOZA Human rights monitors on 2nd August 2013, a member Christine Dube reported that Gladys had threatened her for reporting on her to the WOZA leadership, calling her a sell out. In the presence of 20 members, a further call was made to Gladys Dube asking her to please stop the threats. With the call on speaker phone, all 20 witnesses over heard her shouting insults and threats against Magodonga who could not get a word in edgeways. Stranger still is the fact that Ms Dube admitted making a vulgar insult to Magodonga in the presence of police officers in the senior area prosecutors office on 6th August 2013 but no charges were made against her.
flyer link http://wozazim.org/?p=1443

A demonstration by WOZA and MOZA members in Harare on Wednesday May 28 resulted in the arrest of 13 women and 1 man, all of whom remain in custody up to today, Monday June 2.  The demonstration was held to commemorate Africa Day, mourning the lack of anything to celebrate,  and to protest against the political violence being perpetrated in the weeks leading up to the Presidential run-off election of June 27.

Approximately 200 members were stopped by the police as they marched in the street in central Harare carrying placards and distributing flyers.  Specific members were targeted for arrest, including Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu.  Three were assaulted during interrogation, but they were not seriously injured.  All were first brought to court on Friday afternoon, several hours after the 48 hour limit, where they were remanded until the following day to make a bail application.  On Saturday they were granted bail by the magistrate, Rusinahama.  Jenni Williams’ bail was set at $10,000,000,000 ($US20) and for the other 13 at $5,000,000,000 ($US10).  All were also to turn in their passports.  However, the prosecutor then announced that the state would appeal against bail, so all 14 were remanded in custody until June 6, 2008.  While the single man is being held at Harare Remand prison, the ladies are all at the women’s remand section of Chikurubi.

All 14 have been charged under s 37 1c (ii) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act (formerly part of the Public Order and Security Act) – “Participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence, breach of the peace or bigotry”.  This offence involves “acting with one or more others,…. intending or realizing that there is a risk of forcibly disturbing the peace, security or order of the public”.  Some of those arrested were not participating in the demonstration, but were arrested at gun point while inside a vehicle. They included the driver of the vehicle.  The vehicle was seized.

Jenni also has two other charges under the same Act:  s 30  – “Causing disaffection among the Police Force or Defence Forces”.  This charge was leveled as a result of one paragraph of the flyer which was being distributed by the demonstrators.  This paragraph was addressed to the uniformed forces and included the following words:  “We ask them to respect that Zimbabweans have voted for change and refrain from being used to perpetrate violence and to carry out injustices”.  She is likewise charged under s 31 (a) (i)  with “Publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State”.  This charge apparently relates to a flyer from another organisation of which she had one copy in her handbag; however she has been accused of distributing it as well.

It will be noted that all of these sections of the Act infringe on Zimbabweans’ basic right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Declaration of Rights in our constitution.  Similar sections of the notorious Law and Order (Maintenance) Act were previously judged unconstitutional by the Zimbabwean Supreme Court, but they were re-enacted in the Public Order and Security Act.  The constitutionality of these re-enacted sections has yet to be tested in the courts.

All of the detained members of WOZA and MOZA are being visited and taken food and are in good spirits and well.  It is expected that the State’s appeal will be heard before the end of this week, and it is hoped that the appeal will be rejected and the bail conditions  upheld, so that those currently detained can await further developments out of custody.  We salute those brave members of WOZA and MOZA who dare to stand up and make public their concerns about the perilous state in which most Zimbabweans are now living.  May all Zimbabweans be inspired by their actions.

Woza Moya September 2013

The 13 WOZA women and one man are spending another night in custody in remand prisons in Harare.  The State’s appeal against bail awarded in the magistrates court May 30 was due to be heard today.

However, the State only filed their arguments late yesterday afternoon, which meant the ZLHR lawyer representing WOZA could only submit their arguments this morning. Judge Hlatshwayo said that he needed time to read them and postponed the hearing until tomorrow.  If the State’s case fails, the members should be  released tomorrow.

If it succeeds, WOZA will continue to press for their freedom.  They are being unjustly punished without trial for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression and assembly.

#BoycottSchoolFees
For the URGENT attention of: ALL Education Ministries, Cabinet, Parliament and Senate of Zimbabwe

The Government of Zimbabwe has directly retrogressed in its obligation to provide free primary education according to local, regional and international instruments. The State has made no effort to correct this retrogression even after including the right to education in the Constitution Bill of Rights.
The Laws relating to the right to education are all contained in the following
a) The right to education enjoys protection in international law. Section 26 (1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides that, ‘Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory…’
b) The International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), in Article 13(2) (a) and (b), obliges states parties to make primary education compulsory and free, whereas secondary education “shall be made generally available and accessible”.
c) The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides for the right to education in Article 28. Article 28 (1) (a) places an obligation upon States parties to make primary education compulsory and free, whereas article 28(1) (b) requires states to make secondary education available and accessible to the child.
d) Article 17 (1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights stipulates that every individual shall have the right to education.
e) Zimbabwe has canvassed these international law principles through domestication which means bring these international laws into local laws. The Zimbabwean Constitution provides for the right to education in Section 27 which states that ‘the State shall take all practical measures to promote free and compulsory basic education for children…’ Further in the declaration of rights, Section 75 entitles ‘every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe to a basic State- funded education…’ The Education Act in Section 4 demands that ‘every child in Zimbabwe shall have the right to school education’.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) representing citizens countrywide, therefore wish to publicly advise the Government of Zimbabwe, Ministry Officials, School Officials and members of the School Development Associations and Committees of the following declarations.

1. Parents will cease to pay school fees and all levies for primary level from this point forward.
2. Parents also cancel all debts accrued.
3. For secondary schooling, only the USD 10 tuition fee and statutory stipulated USD 5 levy will be accepted and paid.
4. Demand that immediately through policy and practice stop disrespecting the right to compulsory free primary and secondary education. Additionally, the government should investigate and penalise teachers or school heads who practice discrimination by chasing children who can’t pay fees from schools and allow accessibility by all children;

Education is an inheritance and a right! It must be FREE! Imfundo yilifa njalo lilungelo – Dzidzo inhkaka nekodzero.
August 2016 school fees boycott Woza Moya