Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) has received formal notification from the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) that a recent communication, outlining continued human rights abuses perpetrated against WOZA members, was accepted during the 14th Extraordinary Session held from July 20-24, 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. By accepting the communication, the ACHPR requests that the Zimbabwean government respond to the rights violations included in the document.

The communication number 446/13 was taken by Jennifer Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu, and WOZA against the Republic of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Lawyer’s for Human Rights (ZLHR) and the Washington-based Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center) now have 60 days to argue for admissibility of the case.

The nature of the complaint is that the Republic of Zimbabwe – which ratified the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on May 30, 1986 – has routinely violated WOZA’s right to peaceful protest and assembly. The communication, which was initially submitted in April 2013, documents a lengthy series of arrests, beatings, arbitrary detentions, and general physical harassment of WOZA members for over a decade between 2003 and 2013.

Formed in 2002, WOZA is a mass civic movement with a countrywide membership of approximately 85,000 citizens. WOZA lobbies and advocates on issues pertaining to women and their families in Zimbabwe and participates in a range of peaceful campaigns, both locally and internationally. WOZA’s principal aim is to mobilise Zimbabweans, particularly women, to demand social justice and educates its members about their rights and freedoms and encourages them to fully participate in important civic processes. WOZA conducts civic education programmes and teaches its members nonviolent ways to advance and protect their basic human rights.

Woza Moya September 2013

Woza Moya May 2013

Woza Moya Feb 2013

Bertha Sibanda (55), a Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) member, who is on trial charged under the Public Indecency and Public Exposure Act, appeared on trial in Tredgold Magistrate Court, Bulawayo. She appeared before Magistrate Ms Charity Maphosa on Monday 30th September 2013 for continuation of trial and was defended by Kossam Ncube. A ruling is expected on 9th October 2013.

On the same day, Magodonga Mahlangu also appeared on trial in court one before Magistrate C. J. Mberewere, charged with making offensive calls without reasonable cause. Defense lawyer, Nontokozo Tachiona applied for Mahlangu’s discharge when the stated closed its case. The complainant, MDC T ward chair for Matshobana in Bulawayo, and the two state witnesses contradicted their own evidence and disassociated themselves with their statements prepared by the law and order department of the police who insisted the matter be prosecuted. The Magistrate will rule on if Mahlangu must take the stand in her own defense and present witnesses for the defense on 8th October 2013. (For more info see this link http://wozazim.org/?p=1463)

Bertha Sibanda was amongst 180 WOZA members who were arrested during the Valentine’s Day protest on the 14th of February 2013. She was detained after the rest of members were released as she had removed her outer garments whilst in the Bulawayo Police station courtyard.

Mr. Shepherd Nhamburo prosecuted for the State, leading evidence that on Sibanda removed her skirt and blouse in public in full view of the police who were arresting the protesting group of WOZA women.

The business before the court on 30 September was for the accused person and defense witnesses to take the stand. Ms Sibanda told the court that she stripped following an instruction from the arresting police officers who shouted bvisa (a Shona language word meaning remove your clothes).

She said, “Police officers shouted ‘bvisa’ to the group and I asked them if we should removed our clothes and they responded with same word ‘bvisa’. I asked them about three times if I should go ahead and they still maintained that we should strip.”

According to Sibanda, there was nothing wrong with her stripping since she only stripped after enquiring if she should do it and got an affirmative response from the police officers. “I thought they wanted me to strip following the arrest. I have information from other people’s narrations that women are required to remove their clothes when they are arrested,” explained Sibanda.

Two witnesses, both members of WOZA arrested on the day in question, Hlalaphi Ndlovu and Joyce Ndebele took the stand and both maintained that the instruction to remove clothes came from the police officers. The members felt that the command shouted to the group of arrested women, misled them to think that they were under arrest and expected to remove their clothes in the courtyard. The two said that they did not strip as WOZA leader Magodonga Mahlangu stopped them told them to sit down and await for formal procedures after a telephone conversation with WOZA leader Jennifer Williams.

Ms Mahlangu took the stand on 1st October 2013 when the trial resumed. She testified that she had stopped the mass undressing after calling Jennifer Williams to advise her that over 180 members had been arrested. Williams had been part of the protest and Officer Commanding Bulawayo District Chief Inspector Maninge had asked her to come upstairs to his office so as to discussing the cause of the protest. When Mahlangu called Williams to advise of the arrests, Williams was in the office of the chief Inspector and she immediately advised him of the news and announced to him and to Mahlangu on the phone that she was walking out of the meeting as the police boss had obviously not negotiating in good faith by arresting members.

Williams duly arrived at Bulawayo Central police station with the police boss. He had addressed the protest promising that no one would be arrested whilst Williams meet with him and his police staff. Williams and members seated in the courtyard refused to leave pending the release of Bertha and 8 male members but Chief Inspector Maninge ordered the Police Reactions group to beat anyone who refused to leave the police station despite them having been brought there under arrest by the same Police Reaction group.

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) would like to thank Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights for their continued support in deploying their members to defend WOZA human rights defenders as they face persecution by prosecution by a police force selectively applying the law.

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

WOZA delivered this petition to parliament on 19 September 2013 – the response was beatings with baton sticks and a 3 hour detention of 3 WOZA leaders, Williams, Mahlangu and Nyamanindi before police politely ‘showed the 3 the way out’!

The 21st September is celebrated the world over as a day of Peace. Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members will also celebrate this day by presenting their peaceful demands to local and national Government. Our theme: PEACE must deliver FREEDOM and DEVELOPMENT for all!

WOZA members selected this theme as a way to explain to their political leadership that Zimbabweans cannot enjoy ‘peace’ in the absence of or without FREEDOM and DEVELOPMENT. Members have heard so many statements that there is peace in Zimbabwe, that elections were held in peace. It seems that there is too much showing off about PEACE that the word is becoming too cheaply used. The time has come for politicians to respect our right to genuine peace that comes with enjoyment of our freedoms and development. For too long these rights have been sanctioned or abused by politics. We want the sanctions to be lifted on our rights and we want an end to rule by politics and demand Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act be given a chance to rule. WOZA consulted members on their immediate demands to the new national and local governments and submit the following lists.

Service delivery DEMANDS to the new local government
1. Firstly we want to thank council for complying with the ministerial directive for 100% debt forgiveness.
2. We await road reconstruction and maintenance to reduce accidents, the President also promised infrastructure development.
3. More clinics and improved health including a better treatment by health care professionals in clinics and hospitals.
4. A more meaningful education system and a boost to the education facilities and decent salaries for teachers.
5. A consulted and genuine programme to ensure plentiful supply of affordable clean water.Proper Water and Electricity billing systems and the installation of water meters and prepaid meters in all houses.
6. Swift response to sewage bursts and blockages and repairing of trenches and sewer pipes. Provision of sanitary facilities such as clean public toilets.
7. Ensuring a clean environment through efficient and regular garbage collection service and provision of garbage bins. Council to conduct a serious clean up exercise in public places such as beer halls and bus terminuses.
8. Provision of decent housing for all and proper home ownership schemes in the older township communities.
9. We demand for stakeholder participation and consultative decision making in all budgets and equal employment opportunities without tribalism or political discrimination.
10. Provision of hawkers licenses and affordable license fees to vendors and tuck shop owners.
11. Council must introduce income generating projects such as clubs, gardening, sewing to help women to reduce poverty.
12. Repair dilapidated structures such as, community buildings and stadiums. The provision of recreational and training facilities for the youths to reduce criminal activities such as theft, drug and alcohol abuse. Maintenance of street and tower lights.
13. Lastly we want ZETDC to convene public hearings to explain why they are not implementing the political directive for 100% debt forgiveness.
DEMANDS for the new Government

1. An IMMEDIATE and public plan of action as to how parliament is going to undertake the harmonisation of laws to bring them into line with the new constitution. The Zanu PF manifesto can never replace our Constitution and so such talk must stop.
2. EMPOWEREMENT – Despite the spirit of gender equality in the new constitution, women are being actively sidelined out of national processes. Prove us wrong by publicising and implementing the affirmative action policy plan for women and the vulnerable and less privileged groups in society e.g. the elderly, widows, children, orphans and the disabled.
3. JOBS – publicise the policy plan for the creation of the promised employment. Starting with the resourcing and re-opening of Industries and creation of a climate for investment and cooperation of manufacturing our own goods so the scrap yards can become functioning business once again.
4. ECONOMIC RECOVERY – publicise a consulted economic recovery plan which includes attracting foreign investment. If there is a proper climate for genuine business partnership, investors will not mind a 49% shareholding. But threats of invasions will chase even the poorest investor. Indigenization programmes should be implemented with proper long-term planning and not theorized to make the elite more rich.
5. Provision of funding for the mining and agricultural sector to ensure increased productivity and food security to boost the economy
6. We demand fair and equitable distribution and management of community resources. If we are as rich a country as the President said they why are we so poor? Natural resources must belong to the local communities and they must see and understand where they have made profits and where there are losses. We demanded devolution of power in order to bring development to a community level and we still demand it.
7. Allow civic organizations to operate freely without fear and intimidation.
8. We demand an urgent plan of how free primary education and affordable secondary education promised in the constitution will be delivered by 2014.
9. A plan of action to end corrupt practices by all people, even those in political power positions.
10. Sufficient and attractive salaries for civil servants, doctors and nurses to avoid brain drain but full implementation that civil servants must not belong to any political party. We expect an audit of this soon and very soon.
11. Resourcing water pipeline projects in order to curb water shortages resulting in durable water supply. Research and feasibility studies for the construction of more dams necessary for all towns and cities.
12. A public plan of action as to how the police force will be transformed into a police service and the setting up of the independent police complaints mechanism as stated in the constitution.

Finally the 21 September 2013 marks the launch of the WOZA ‘mother your vote’ campaign. The vote cast on 31 July 2013 must be nurtured and cared for as a new born baby. It must be taught to sit, stand, walk and run. This child called ‘Vote’ cannot be neglected as the child called ‘Zimbabwe’ has been neglected. WOZA thinks of the new political leadership as the co-parents of our child ‘Vote’. WOZA members, the mothers of the nation, intend to keep reminding the political leadership that they have to be responsible and good parents. To do this WOZA members will play a game of TAG with the political leadership. Wikipedia explains the game called TAG as a game played that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to “tag” or touch them or make them it! In the game some players always try to escape being touched or made ‘it’. Watchful WOZA members will be hoping to make the politicians ‘it’. Being made ‘it’ means you are playing your co-parenting role of our child called ‘Vote’. Politicians, including the Executive, Cabinet Ministers, MP’s, Senators, Councillors, please participate in giving ‘Vote’ a good life. This may be a game and we may be using it to make a friendly point but this game of TAG will be a very serious game.

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

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

MEDIA STORY & LIVE EVENT NOTICE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2013 – Four Leading Activists from Around the World to Receive Awards for Nonviolent Victories                                                                                                                    Wednesday, June 19, 12:30-2:00pm EST

Boston, Massachusetts – On June 19 four leading activists from around the world will receive The James Lawson Award for their success in civil resistance on behalf of environmental protection, indigenous people, political rights, and the end of racial oppression, at an awards ceremony in Boston. James Lawson was the prime strategist behind the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s, and will personally give the awards to:

+ Evgenia Chirikova, the young Russian woman who co-founded Defend Khimki Forest, which has fought a long and so far successful campaign in the last ten years to prevent the destruction of an ancient-growth forest near Moscow.

+ Mkhuseli (“Khusta”) Jack, the South African leader of a consumer boycott campaign and a relentless organizer during the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in the 1980s.

+ Oscar Olivera, one of the key leaders of the campaign in Cochabamba, Bolivia in the 1990’s that prevented the privatization of water resources and helped spark broad popular participation in Bolivia’s democratic transition in the ensuing years.

+ Jenni Williams, the co-founder of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, who braved 52 arrests and jailings due to ongoing protests for genuine political rights for all of the people of her country.

The Lawson Awards will be presented at the 8th annual Fletcher Summer Institute on the Advanced Study of Nonviolent Conflict at Tufts University, before an audience of activists, scholars, and international professionals participating in the week-long institute. The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict conducts the Institute with the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. “Today the map of nonviolent resistance is truly global, and Evgenia, Khusta, Oscar and Jenni represent the diversity of struggles, the refusal to quit, and the personal courage of nonviolent organizers and activists all over the world,” said Hardy Merriman, the vice president of the Center.

The awards event was conducted at Tufts University campus in Boston Massachusetts in the United States. see the youtube link