WOZA & MOZA members outside the Chronicle offices

1,000 members of Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise marched through central Bulawayo today to the offices of the state-owned Chronicle newspaper. As in the demonstration in Harare on Saturday, the peaceful protestors handed out Valentine cards, red roses and abbreviated copies of WOZA’s report on the state of democracy in Zimbabwe to excited passers-by. No arrests have been reported at the time of this release.

Five protests started separately and converged on the offices of the Chronicle. The peaceful protestors sang as they marched, handing out roses and Valentine cards to the citizens of Bulawayo, many of whom then proceeded to join in the demonstration, causing the numbers to grow as the group approached the Chronicle. People rushed out of shops and offices to join in the excitement and carnival atmosphere.

At the Chronicle offices, the group sat down outside the building whilst a journalist came out to interview Jenni Williams about the demonstration. It was explained to him that the demonstration was to launch the democracy report and to test media and civic freedoms under the GNU. Williams gave the journalist a copy of the report and a Valentine rose before the group dispersed without incident. No police officers were in sight at any stage of this process.

The report, entitled ‘Hearts starve as well as bodies – give us bread but give us roses too! Democratising Zimbabwe – an opportunity to shine!’ is a snapshot of community activists’ views on the state of democracy in Zimbabwe one year after the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). It also urges Zimbabweans to participate in democratizing Zimbabwe.

Songs sung by the peaceful protestors included: “We want to expose this delay in writing our constitution, which will delay our getting our social justice“; “we don’t want the Kariba Draft” and “we need a Bill of Rights that respects us; send me around the country to consult on the constitution as WOZA respects people.”

To read a full copy of the report, click on the following link: Hearts starve as well as bodies – a WOZA perspective on the state of democracy in Zimbabwe

The four WOZA members arrested on Thursday outside ZESA headquarters, Jenni Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu, Clara Manjengwa and Celina Madukani, have finally been released from police custody after spending five nights in cells. The Attorney General’s office refused to press charges against the four women due to lack of sufficient evidence. The women did not appear in court as defence lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, spoke directly with the Attorney General’s office. Officers from the Law and Order Department at Harare Central had tried to force the women to pay ‘admission of guilt’ fines on Saturday to ‘buy’ their freedom. WOZA will now being suing the Zimbabwe Republic Police for wrongful arrest and detention.

The four women endured hellish conditions in the cells – the worst that these veteran activists who have been detained on numerous occasions have ever seen. All women require medical treatment for a rash all over their bodies and diahorrea due to the filthy conditions and flu symptoms from the cold conditions. Their bodies also ache from being forced to sit and sleep on cold concrete for six days.

The corridors and floor of the female cells were covered in urine and human faeces due to blocked toilets and only sporadic water supply. The women were also initially subjected to verbal abuse from police officers until the nonviolent activists refused to accept the abuse. By the end of their detention however, many officers were supportive. What is clear is that police officers also have to work in these inhuman and degrading conditions.

The human rights defenders can also testify to the large-scale corruption being practiced in the cells. Bribery is rife; with bribes being paid by prisoners to secure their speedy release from the horrific conditions. The sale of mbanje (marijuana) is also commonplace.

WOZA is relieved that the four women have finally been released and would like to thank all friends and supporters that phoned the police station or communicated their support. Jenni, Magodonga, Clara and Celina appreciate the solidarity. Nonetheless, WOZA would also like to express outrage at their detention for six days in horrendous conditions when police officers knew that there was insufficient evidence. This malicious harassment of human rights defenders is continued evidence that very little has changed in Zimbabwe despite the formation of a unity government over a year ago and the conciliatory words of the President a few days ago. The insistence of ZESA employees that the peaceful activists be arrested will also be remembered. It appears that the electricity provider would rather have its paying customers arrested than dialogue with them about their concerns. This arrogant behavior is further confirmation that ZESA is not interested in providing a service to Zimbabweans but is only interested in taking advantage of their need for a basic requirement.

To read a copy of the yellow card the WOZA protestors were delivering to ZESA, click here: ZESA yellow card

To read a copy of WOZA’s report on electricity services in Zimbabwe, click here: WOZA report on ZESA

In the ongoing climate of police brutality in Zimbabwe today, WOZA members continue to be on the receiving end of police violence.

Two members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were taken from their homes in Warren Park, Harare, late on Monday night by police. Three truckloads of police took the mother and daughter from their home at gunpoint, blindfolded them and took them into an unknown destination in the bush. There they were questioned about WOZA and assaulted with weapons and fists.

After several hours of assault and questioning, the two women convinced their attackers that they did not know anything and they were dumped in the bush. They later managed to get a lift back into Harare where they raised the alert. The women are currently receiving medical attention for their injuries.

In a separate incident, another WOZA member in Gweru was picked up by police on Friday and taken to Gweru Central where she was interrogated for several hours – police insisting that WOZA started the current state of emergency with their demonstration in Gweru on 5th March. They searched her house illegally (for fertilizer and petrol) and confiscated her radio. She had been badly beaten in custody following that demonstration and police continued to threaten her – stating that they would be back for her and they would make sure that she never returned to Gweru.

The 35 members arrested in Gweru following the launch of the People’s Charter in the first week of March will appear in remand court on 21st and 22nd March.

18-year-old WOZA activist, Clarah Makoni, returned to her home late last night. She had been missing since 8am when she had returned to Bulawayo Central Police Station to report following her arrest on Thursday. She had been arrested for taking food for those in custody into Luveve Police Station.

On arriving at Bulawayo Police Station, she was told that her name was not on the list and told to go home. On leaving the station, the young activist was approached by two plain-clothed men, who identified themselves as police officers and wanted her to show them where Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams lived. They told her she was under arrest so she asked to make a phone call, whereby she phoned Mahlangu from a phone shop to let her know that she had been “arrested again”. They had a cream Kombi waiting nearby with two other officers inside, which they forced her into. The four plain-clothed officers then took her to Fairbridge police camp, approximately 20km out of Bulawayo, where police officers are taken to be “disciplined”.

She was shown torture rooms and told in great detail what would happen to her there. They then took her into the bush nearby and questioned her about Jenni Williams and where WOZA gets its money, at the same time, forcing her to watch other people being tortured by plain-clothed officers until 8.30 at night. The police told her to tell WOZA that they “don’t play with people”. When she kept insisting that she could not answer their questions, they decided she could go after being ‘punished’. She was then forced to crawl under an electric fence, causing her clothes to be torn and covered in mud. She then had to run through the bush to find her way back to the main road, where a passer-by found her in torn, filthy clothes and gave her a lift back to Bulawayo.

Clarah had been beaten in police custody on Thursday by Sergeant George Levison Ngwenya and Detective Assistant Inspector Tshuma, which had aggravated earlier injuries from beatings in February. As a result she was very ill, vomiting, and urinating blood. Upon arriving back in Bulawayo, she was taken for medical treatment. She is currently recovering from her ordeal.

The 82 members who had spent Thursday night in custody were released yesterday afternoon without being taken to court. Police will proceed by way of summons if they wish to pursue the matter. The entire group were charged under Chapter 46 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘causing a criminal nuisance’.

WOZA members are relieved that our Clarah has been returned to us. In this instance the power of love truly did overcome hatred. The entire episode only serves to highlight the depravity of a regime that finds it necessary to torture and abduct a young girl whose only ‘crime’ was feeding people in custody.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) have conducted 600 workshops in the last 2 weeks to familiarise members with the 15 February 2013 Draft Constitution. The workshops were conducted in Bulawayo, Harare and rural Matabeleland with participation of 16 562 members with 18 percent of those being male members. Time and resources did not permit the programme to be conducted on all 85000 members.

A feature of the workshop was an internally authored Draft Constitution Assessment tool. The tool prepared an overview as to 92 key demands that WOZA members have made over the last 3 years. Of the 92 demands, 60 were included in the Draft, 17 were partly acknowledged and 15 were not achieved. During the workshop, members were asked if they would be voting on 16th March 2013 and 100 percent said they would turn out on the day and vote YES for the Draft.

WOZA call on the government of national unity partners to walk the talk about zero tolerance for violence in all its forms and to ensure the police will act impartially to allow citizens to enjoy all their rights before during and after the referendum.

WOZA call on Zimbabweans to turn out in their millions and exercise their right to vote peacefully and to vote YES for the parliamentary select committee draft constitution.

A Bulawayo member Susan Sango was arrested early 16 September 2015 by police carrying a 27 July 2015 warrant of arrest for a 2009 arrest. Another member Maria Tshamala was arrested and released on Monday 14 September on the same case and told to bring her co- accused to appear in court on 28 September 2014. Susan Sango appeared in court 1 under Magistrate Mushove who ruled that Susan should not be detained and she was released from custody. The Magistrate recognised that the warrants of arrest were erroneously issues and all warrants are therefore cancelled. If the state is to proceed it must proceed by way of summons only after it has the case in order.
WOZA believe this is blatant harassment based on WOZA protests to the Bulawayo Mayor and Minister Kasukuwere Harare office on 9 September 2015. Additionally WOZA criticised the First lady for distributing looted goods to party members at a Zanu PF rally.
Police have restrained themselves from arrests during the protest but WOZA believe this is covert harassment and an attempt to strike fear in members to deny the right to protest. The arrest of Susan and six members went through the magistrate’s court on 2009 and 2010 and went to the Supreme Court as a constitutional challenge.
Additionally since this arrest in 2009, WOZA challenged and obtained a ruling in 26 November 2010 that their arrest was unlawful under section 37 of the Public Order Security Act. The case was taken by Jennifer Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu for a 16th October, 2008 protest.
Seven members are arrest during a peaceful protest on 17 June 2009. Badly beaten they are denied medical attention and detained. They are charged under section 37 1 A of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, (sections of the Public Order Security act).
On 19 June 2009 seven members arrested are released on bail of USD 20 each.
They are remanded out of custody to 3rd July 2009 and have to report to their nearest police station every Friday.
They appeared in Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court but the state was not prepared with either the docket or state witnesses. They are further remanded out of custody until 22nd July.
On 22 July 2009 they appeared again in Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court and the case is postponed to 19th October. Defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube, notified the court of his intention to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the charges. The activists are charged under Section 37 1 A of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘disturbing the peace, security or order of the public’.
On 6th January 2010 they appear and lawyer expects a ruling for removal off remand s the case has been received by the Supreme Court. The ruling was not ready however and so the group was further remanded to 12th January.
On 12 January 2010 the magistrate was not available and so the group was again further remanded to 25th January and were finally removed off remand 25 February 2010.
Additionally Zimbabwe now has a new Constitution allowing the right to petition and protest which is ignored by this arrest.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) child members accompanied by child mentors and national leadership delivered a petition to the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture at 1030am in Bulawayo 11 April 2017.
Two hundred and five children and 100 adults marched from the Bulawayo Public Library to the government complex Mhlahlandlela singing protest and religious songs.
At the complex the children submitted a petition and also recited poems bemoaning the state of education in Zimbabwe. The march dispersed peacefully at 11am with police continuing to monitor from a distance.
WOZA leadership promised that WOZA and partners would coordinate legal action against the Ministry should children be chased away from school when the term begins on 9th May 2017.
“The state has promised to progressively realise the right to education but has instead retrogressed causing hardship to parent and children alike through various fees and levy. They even withhold original birth certificates if parents’ don’t pay up.” They force parents to accept payment plans at the threat of debt collectors visiting their homes to repossess property. Debt collectors even interrogate children as to the property in their homes that can be taken. When parents finally pay up they are also paying the Debt collectors fee so the cost of Education has become for the privileged” said WOZA leader Jenni Williams

WOZA leader Magodonga Mahlangu criticised Minister Dokora for failing to pay the child per capita grant since 2013 election period. She said he should be ashamed of himself. “Dokora is failing to pay the child per capita grant but then coming with a new curriculum which demands parents buy laptops and smart phones. Something is not logical in all this”

Children asked why education a crime in Zimbabwe? They feel it is a crime to go to school because of the abuse they suffer at the hands of their teachers and then they are shouted at by stressed parents, responding harshly because they cant pay the payment demands of fees and levies children are made to bring home.

“My thoughts racing in my mind, thinking of the difficulties of being literate… Exhausted of learning, finding it hard to grasp all the information, Education has now become a crime for us children” said a child from Richmond in Bulawayo

WOZA leadership had formally invited the Zimbabwe Republic Police who came and observed a descent presence protecting the best interest of the children respecting their right to protest. Unfortunately the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission turned down the invitation to participate saying it had been handed over at short notice.

An elderly man watching the procession said that Education has become hard due to unemployment as most can’t pay up. A woman also a bystander agreed that a lot of payments are demanded by schools just as WOZA has explained. A woman at a hair dressing salon said this is the WOZA we know raising issues that matter to people on the street. A woman from Nkulumane said her children were also chased away from school.

Sisterhood Bond

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WOMEN OF ZIMBABWE ARISE – WOZA
P. O. Box FM 701, Famona, Bulawayo
By Women for Women and with Women, across Race, Colour, Creed, Class or Political Persuasion. Empowering Women to be Courageous, Caring, Committed and in Communication with their Communities.

WOZA SISTERS
SISTERHOOD BOND

My name is …………………………………………………………………………………………

I give my word that I will strive to stand up in support of my sisters. I will give ‘her’ my hand in support as we struggle together towards our rightful place as equals in society. Working together, hand in hand, we shall bring Zimbabwe back to peace, justice and prosperity.

As the struggle continues, I will remember the following guidelines:

1. To speak out and encourage other women to do the same, so that the female voice is heard. Women should no longer suffer silently.
2. To participate in peaceful assembly and meetings to discuss our challenges and to act rather than complain.
3. To be a comfortable shoulder to lean on or a listening ear. ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’.
4. To demonstrate love and courage in our homes and communities so that people can shake away fear.
5. Women are the mothers of the nation and must demand that Dignity.
6. To be a supporter of Non-violence so that people can see that problems can be solved peacefully.
7. To seek out and be in solidarity with like-minded women.
8. To be God fearing and encourage activities that promote spiritual health.
9. To support Democratic participation with tolerance for differing views and opinions.
10. “An injury to one is an injury to all”.

I give my word!

Signed: ………………………………………………………… Date: …………………………………

Witnessed by: ……………………………………… Witnessed by: ………………………………

Copyright © 2004

THE 14 members who had been arrested on 28 May during a peaceful procession were remanded to trial on 26 August in Harare Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning.

Passports that had been confiscated as part of bail conditions were returned and all reporting conditions were removed. The trial was to have been held on 29 July but was postponed as the State was not ready.

On 15th July, two members charged with distributing materials likely to cause a breach of the peace in Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court were remanded to 16 September as, once again, the State was not ready to proceed to trial.

To read legal documents relating to the case against Jenni Williams and the 13 others, please look in the legal documents folder.

Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu spent their third weekend in Mlondolozi Prison as still no word has been received from the High Court regarding their appeal. Although the urgent application was filed on Monday 27th October, the defence team is still waiting to hear which High Court judge will decide on the matter and whether he will insist on a hearing or not.

In the meantime there is increasing concern for their well-being. Prison guards at Mlondolozi are becoming increasingly hostile. They were threatening and abusive to the team taking food to them on Thursday last week and are now saying that the support team can only visit them once every two weeks (having told them that they could see Jenni and Magodonga once a day on week days). Food is still allowed in but they are not allowed to receive visits. Apparently the reason is that prison authorities are unhappy that Jenni and Magodonga are filing complaints about the way that they are being treated by the prison guards and are seeking to punish them.

WOZA calls for the immediate release of Jenni and Magodonga and continues to ask all friends in the region and internationally to continue to put pressure on Zimbabwean authorities to end this harassment of women who are only guilty of loving their families and their country.

Useful telephone numbers:

Regional Prisons Headquarters (Bulawayo): +263 9 71458/71468Mlondolozi Prison: +263 9 64228

Bulawayo Attorney General’s Office: +263 9 77651/61603

Harare Attorney General’s Office: +263 4 781769/774586

Bulawayo Public Prosecutor: + 263 9 63173

Bulawayo High Court: +263 9 60326