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Stand Up For Your Child – 2008
WOZA participates in a variety of campaigns locally and internationally.
Also have a look at our publications to get a sense of our campaigns and our position on a variety of issues.
For several weeks, WOZA members have expressed their deep concern about the failure of government schools to open. This follows on from distress about the quality of education that their children received in 2008. In the first 20 years of Independence, Zimbabwe’s education system and schools were the envy of Africa. In 2009, we do not have an education system to speak of.
WOZA research
In August 2008 WOZA undertook a survey of our membership. We interviewed a sample of more than 1,000 members in Bulawayo, Harare and Chitungwiza. We asked them about how they are living and about their children’s education. In February 2009, WOZA conducted further research on a sample of 377 members to determine the current status of their children’s education and our members’ ability to access food.
Please click here to read a report, from WOZA’s perspective, of the state of education in Zimbabwe. The state of education in Zimbabwe- a WOZA perspective
WOZA is sending a petition on the state of education to the new minister of education, Senator David Coltart. WOZA members are going door-to-door asking parents to sign. Please sign your support. Email WOZA to receive the petition at wozazimbabwe@yahoo.com and post the completed form to P.O. Box FM 701 Famona, Bulawayo.
Comments from parents on the state of education (February 2009):
“Children need good education but the problem is that our leaders do not show concern about it. They need to take steps about education.”
“I did not go to school but I need my children to go to school.”
“I am heartbroken because in years back we used to go to school even if we failed but our children are failing to go to school. This will destroy our children’s future.”
“It is painful to have an uneducated child.”
“I want my grandchildren to learn so that they finish the poor life I am living.”
“There are no resources in schools whilst they are charging what they want without consulting parents and at the end of the day demanding us to pay teachers salaries.”
WOZA sit down during their Valentine protest, Bulawayo
Members in Bulawayo took to the streets on Saturday 14th February, three days after the swearing in of the new government and one day after the swearing in of the new Cabinet. At least 800 members took part in the peaceful proceedings, urging Zimbabweans to let love light the way.
The peaceful Valentine’s protest had four different starting points. The plan was for all four groups to meet at a central point and process together to the office of the state-owned Chronicle newspaper. All four demonstrations started on time, despite a heavy police presence in the city centre. One of the first groups was stopped after one block by riot police however. A leader was arrested and the rest of the group told to disperse, which they did peacefully.
The other three groups successfully met up with each other on the corner of 9th Avenue and Fort Street but were unable to process further as they were stopped by riot police. Hundreds of members were held under arrest at this point. They were then ordered by a senior police officer to march to City Hall. As the group was so large however, and the number of police escorts relatively few, many were able to slip away as they walked the several blocks to City Hall. At City Hall, those under arrest were asked to present their identification cards to police and were searched. Anyone found with WOZA materials (including red roses) were sent to Central Police Station. Those that did not have any WOZA items in their possession were released.
As people slipped away from police, they met up with those that had avoided arrest and continued with spontaneous marches through town or else congregated as delegations at the Chronicle. Several groups of WOZA members were seen entering the Chronicle offices to deliver Valentine’s cards, roses and flyers.
It also appears that police did not remain nonviolent. Witnesses reported seeing riot police randomly beating people, some several blocks away from the demonstration. Six young men, who just happened to be passing the offices of the Chronicle, were observed to be beaten by riot police. Chronicle staff members were also seen to be pointing out WOZA members who had delivered Valentine’s cards and roses to their offices to the police, leading to their arrest.
The demonstrations and the chaotic and violent dispersal were witnessed by three South African observers from civic society – Precious Myeza from South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO), Sakina Mohamed from the South African Council of Churches and Bunie Matlanyane Sexwale from Khulumani Support Group as part of the Save Zimbabwe Now Coalition. All were present to provide solidarity with WOZA members as it was strongly suspected that police would react oppressively as there is little doubt in the minds of ordinary Zimbabweans that the unity government has not changed anything on the ground.
After all the confusion and chaos of the day, seven WOZA women and three male members of Radio Dialogue, a community-based radio station, who were observing the demonstration, were arrested and spent four nights in custody at Bulawayo Central Police Station. The group were denied access to their lawyer until Monday morning, two days after their arrest.
This was a clear violation of Zimbabwean laws which allow police 48-hours within which to charge people and bring them to court. Police argued that the 48 hour period of detention had not expired but according to the Criminal Evidence and Procedure Act, it starts from the moment of arrest (regardless of whether on a weekend or not) and can only be extended if the 48-hour period expires on a non-court day.
The group were kept in horrific conditions. The cells were filthy with overflowing toilets and on the first night, they were severely overcrowded. Food bins were not emptied regularly so maggots could be seen crawling in the bins. The women were also subjected to invasive strip searches every day. One woman on anti-retroviral treatment had to fight for access to her tablets every day by demanding to see the officer-in-charge as police tried to deny her access to her life-saving medication – on one occasion, she was actually denied her ARVs.
As well as being denied access to their lawyer and being kept in horrific conditions, the group was also subjected to intense pressure to pay admission of guilt fines. Due to this intense pressure and the deplorable conditions in the cells, six of the detained group succumbed and paid fines for obstructing traffic on Tuesday afternoon – the three Radio Dialogue staff, and three WOZA members, two mothers and one member who developed a bad rash.
Four women refused to bow to pressure and insisted on being taken to court. In a surprise twist, they were released from custody later that same evening and instructed to return to the police station the next morning. When they presented themselves the next morning, they were informed by the Investigating Officer, Constable Masawi, that the charges against them were being changed and so the paperwork would need to be prepared from the beginning. They spent the morning at the police station being processed for the fresh charges and were informed that they would be taken to court the next morning.
The new charges were under Section 46 2 (v) of the Third Schedule to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘employs any means whatsoever which are likely materially to interfere with the ordinary comfort, convenience, peace or quiet of the public or any section of the public, or does any act which is likely to create a nuisance or obstruction’. They had previously been charged under Section 37 (1b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘ … performs any action, utters any words or distributes or displays any writing, sign or other visible representation that is obscene, threatening, abusive or insulting, intending thereby to provoke a breach of the peace…’
The four women were finally taken to court on Thursday morning on the fresh charges of criminal nuisance. The prosecutor at Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court refused to entertain the charges however. All four women were therefore unconditionally released after six days of harassment and intimidation by police, four of which were spent in horrific conditions in police cells. In consultation with the four women, WOZA is considering suing the Zimbabwe Republic Police for wrongful arrest and detention.
The names of those arrested were: Barbara Bepe, Patience Mpofu, Praise Mlangeni, Gladys Dube, Shingirai Mupani, Virginia Sithole, and Peace Mthethwa. The three men from Radio Dialogue were Thandazani Nkomo, Zenzele Ndebele and Oscar Hungwe.
The events in Harare and Bulawayo, together with the arrest of MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett on the day of the swearing in of Ministers and the continued incarceration of Jestina Mukoko and other abductees despite court orders instructing their release, are further evidence however that nothing has changed in Zimbabwe. More than ever Zimbabweans need to remain vigilant and participate in defending their rights and freedoms against a regime determined to cling to power despite the platitudes they mouth that they are prepared to share power.
WOZA activists are arrested by police, Bulawayo, 14 February 2009
WOZA marches in Harare, 10 February 2009
On Tuesday 10th February, approximately 600 members demonstrated for several blocks to Parliament in Harare. Whilst riot police stationed outside Parliament looked like they might try to beat and arrest the group, they decided against it and the demonstrators dispersed without incident.
As they marched, the peaceful protestors sang Baba, tuma mweya (Father, send the holy spirit to heal this nation) and handed out red roses, Valentine’s cards, candles, matches and flyers to passersby. The group also briefly stopped outside the UNDP offices to give UN workers roses and Valentine’s cards to thank them for all their efforts in assisting people through the humanitarian crisis. When the group reached Parliament, they also delivered red roses and Valentine’s cards to a number of Senators and Members of Parliament that were standing at the entrance. They also left their placards and flyers at the entrance before dispersing.
In January 2009, WOZA and MOZA launched a new campaign – Take the Step/Qhubeka/Yendera Mberi, designed to encourage Zimbabweans to continue with the civic participation that they demonstrated in March 2008. The campaign is based on the premise that in March 2008 Zimbabweans began a journey towards a new socially just Zimbabwe, a destination that has still not been reached, despite the formation of a unity government. Life in Zimbabwe is incredibly hard and we are still in the darkness. WOZA is urging Zimbabweans not to just complain however but to light the darkness through their actions and by continuing to be active in demanding social justice. By allowing love to light the way, we can reach a socially just Zimbabwe. To demonstrate love in action and to literally light the darkness, WOZA is giving Zimbabweans candles and matches as part of the campaign to encourage them to take the step of joining the movement. Candles and matched distributed in the demonstration today were finished very quickly due to their popular demand. WOZA will therefore gratefully receive any donations of candles, matches and roses for the campaign. More information on the Take the Step Campaign can be found below.
For the last few weeks, members have been mobilising in underground meetings for the first public demonstration of the campaign, Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is traditionally an occasion that WOZA has used to urge Zimbabweans to choose love over hate and marks the 7th anniversary of WOZA’s birth.
Members in Harare decided to hold their Valentine’s protest before the swearing in of the new unity government, which is set to happen tomorrow, to test whether the so-called unity is genuine and will open space for the people of Zimbabwe to dialogue with their leaders about the priorities facing government.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediation process excluded the voices of ordinary Zimbabweans. Furthermore, when Zimbabweans spoke through the ballot in the 29 March 2008 election, SADC chose to ignore the results and the killing and mutilation of Zimbabweans that followed. This week SADC orders resulted in the passing of a power-sharing amendment to the constitution leading the way for a complicated dual power system of governing Zimbabwe.
Whilst it is too late for Zimbabweans to input into this awkward inclusive government, people can put pressure on them to prioritise humanitarian issues, like food access, the health delivery system to prevent further loss of life and the emergency situation regarding the collapsed education system. As we march we will be saying telling politicians ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
Eight women were arrested whilst dispersing from the demonstration and spent two nights in custody in Harare Central Police Station. Two lawyers who happened to be passing Parliament after the demonstration had dispersed were also arrested for holding their cell phones. Police insisted they were trying to take photographs and arrested them. The group of 10 spent two nights in police custody before being taken to court and released on free bail. The entire group, including the two lawyers, were charged under Section 37 1 a i) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act – ‘disturbing the peace, security or order of the public’. They will appear in court again on 4th March 2009.
Those arrested were Nelia Hambarume, Clara Bongwe, Auxilia Tarumbwa, Gracy Mutambachirimo, Linda Moyo, Keure Chikomo, Edina Saidi and Kundai Mupfukudzwa. The two lawyers from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) were Roselyn Hanzi and Tawanda Zhuwarara.
Three of the women were beaten in police custody and all had to seek medical attention. The one woman, Auxillia Tarambwa, 35 years old and two months pregnant, was blocked by a plain-clothed policeman after she had dispersed from the demonstration and told to get into a police vehicle. She refused to get into the vehicle because she was not sure if they were police or not. When she refused, the policeman slapped her and when she got to Harare Central Police Station, the same plain-clothed officer beat her again, this time with a baton stick. She was taken to a clinic upon release and has received pain treatment for extensive deep tissue bruising. Two other woman, Linda Moyo (aged 29 years) and Grace Mutsambachirimo (aged 22 years), were beaten on the soles of their feet with a baton stick by the same officer, also for refusing to get into the vehicle.
All of these developments took place during the swearing in of Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister and the new unity government.
WOZA outside Parliament, Harare, 10 Febraury 2009
Eleven WOZA members, eight women, three men and two babies, were arrested in Nketa, Bulawayo today. They were about to attend a meeting, which was disrupted by riot police before it could commence. The 11 members were sitting outside a church when riot police arrived there after failing to find anyone at the appointed meeting place. Police allowed the mothers and babies to be released into the custody of their lawyer for the night but nine remain in custody tonight. Two university students arrested close by were also arrested with the WOZA members but have been released into their lawyer’s custody.
On Monday WOZA meeting venues were also surrounded by police but no members were arrested and the meetings took place as planned.
The trial of WOZA leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, on charges of disturbing the peace continued this morning before Magistrate Msipa following a hearing last week. Msipa was due to have handed down her ruling on whether to allow the trial to proceed or not on 27th January but had postponed her ruling to today, claiming that she had insufficient time to consult the law library.
Following the defence’s request for charges to be dismissed last week, Msipa denied the request saying that if the charges had been badly crafted the law contained ‘cures’ that could be used as the trial proceeded. Defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube, then requested a postponement to 26 February to be able to confer with his clients and prepare for trial. After hearing arguments against a postponement from the state prosecutor, Lovemore Chifamba, she requested a 15-minute adjournment to write her ruling.
Msipa returned saying that she was confused and parroted the exact argument used by Chifamba earlier that the trial should begin immediately. She hardly allowed Ncube to respond, interjecting with an emotional insistence that the trial proceed as the state was ready. She did allow the matter to be stood down to 11:15 however.
During the adjournment the defence lodged an appeal to the High Court, the basis of which being that Magistrate Msipa had refused to grant them time to consider their options. After the break, Msipa was presented with a copy of the application to the High Court. Once again the state prosecutor weighed in and insisted the Magistrate ignore the appeal saying that it was unprocedural and should have been a review, not an appeal. The Magistrate ruled however that the trial could not proceed until a ruling comes from the High Court.
Williams and Mahlangu were then remanded to 26th February 2009, and could end up being remanded until a ruling has been received from the High Court.
WOZA is concerned that events in court today are a further indication that in Zimbabwe justice is too often compromised upon the altar of political agendas. It is also more evidence that the SADC-mediated process is a farce with ZANU PF making no attempt to make concessions in the interests of moving forward. Furthermore hours of court and police time were wasted on a petty matter whilst more serious crimes go ignored or unheard. Starvation in the prisons is rife and yet no attempt is made to hear cases that could bring some relief to the dire humanitarian crisis in the prison system. In just the short time that WOZA was in court, 15 people were further remanded in custody without any attempt to hear their cases. It is therefore clear why the opposition parties insist that the office of Attorney General and ministries of Home Affairs and Justice be in the hands of impartial professionals.
WOZA leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, appeared in Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court this morning on trial for two charges, one relating to an arrest in October 2008 and the other to an arrest in June 2004.
The 2008 charge is C/S 37 (1) (a) (i) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23: “Acting together with one or more other persons with him/her in any place realizing that there is a real risk or possibility of disturbing peace, security or order of the public”. The 2004 charge is under C/S 7(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act chapter 9:15 “acting in a manner which is likely to lead to a breach of the peace or to create a nuisance or obstruction”.
The State was represented by Lovemore Chifamba with a senior magistrate, Msipa, presiding.
When the proceedings finally started after several delays, the defence lawyer, Kossam Ncube, applied for the charges to be dismissed on the basis of a Supreme Court precedent (Munhumeso and others 1994 (1) – Zimbabwe Law Reports (Supreme Court) p49) that ruled that by their nature, demonstrations are public and are held in public places and therefore will cause some form of public disturbance. It cannot be called a demonstration if the activity is held in private. The ruling decreed that as peaceful demonstrations are allowed under the Constitution, those participating in peaceful demonstrations cannot be charged with disturbing the peace.
Prosecutor Chifamba tried to argue that charges against Williams and Mahlangu were correct as by demonstrating they intended to disturb the peace. Magistrate Msipa will give her ruling at 8.30am on Tuesday 27th January as to whether to proceed with the trial under the current charges or to dismiss charges.
In the most recent case, Williams and Mahlangu were arrested on 16th October 2008 at Mhlahlandlela Government Complex and were held in custody for three weeks; first at Bulawayo Central Police Station, then at Bulawayo Remand Prison before spending the remainder of the time at Mlondolozi Prison. The protest was to demand that the food situation in Zimbabwe be declared a national disaster and all Zimbabweans be able to access food aid whilst protracted political negotiations are more speedily concluded.
Their trial was due to start on 2nd December 2008, but the state, represented by Mr. Shawarira, was not ready for trial and so Magistrate Msipa postponed the trial until 22 January 2009. All bail conditions, which included reporting to police twice a week and not being allowed to travel outside a 40-kilometer radius of Bulawayo without written permission, were lifted.
Their arrest, detention and trial is in continuing violation of the 15th September 2008 Global Political Agreement between Zanu PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change parties.
Zimbabwean Human Rights Organisations
Other Zimbabweans NGO’s
International Human Rights Organisations
Resources for Non-Violent Intervention
News sites focusing on Zimbabwe
WOZA members outside The Chronicle, 10 Dec 08
OVER 1,000 members of WOZA marched through the streets of central Bulawayo today to the offices of the state-owned Chronicle newspaper. The peaceful group distributed flyers calling on the so-called government to stand aside to allow the United Nations to deal with the humanitarian crisis. Other flyers distributed by the group demanded the immediate release of Jestina Mukoko, Violet Mupfuranhehwe and her two-year old baby and the other pro-democracy activists abducted in the last few weeks. They also sang custom-composed songs to portray their message. No arrests have been reported at the time of this release.
The peaceful protest also commemorated Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights under the theme – Human Rights of Women – Human Rights for All. Zimbabweans – stand up for the TRUTH and it will set you free of this regime.
Eight riot police, accompanied by a senior ranking officer, arrived at the Chronicle offices after the protest dispersed. They were overheard asking each other who to arrest. The officer was observed radioing for instructions, whilst the others arrested the placards and newsletters and started to follow the trail of the protest. At this time, an audit is being conducted to check if any arrests have been made.
Both protests yesterday in Harare and today in Bulawayo were lead by different levels of leadership to send a clear message to the regime that even if they arrest WOZA leaders, there are others to step forward and lead. Strict non-violent discipline was observed by all participants.
Comments overheard from bystanders in the bank queues included one woman saying to another, “this is WOZA – and they are singing the truth – children are crying.” To which the other woman replied, “why don’t you join them?” The answer: “I am a coward”.
On this Human Rights Day, WOZA would like to pay tribute to all human rights defenders in the country, commend them for their courage and urge them to remain resolute in the fight for a better Zimbabwe.
Isibopho Sabomama (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
ISIBOPHO SABOMAMA
Ibizo Lami ……………………………………………………………………………………………
Ngiyathembisa ukuthi ngizasebenza kanzima ukuthi ngimele njalo ngixhase odadewethu. Ngizakuba lesandla ekuxhaseni odadewethu kumzabalazo, simanyene sizafika kubanga linye lozulu wonke. Simanyene njalo, sizaletha ukuthula, ukwahlulelwa okusobala, le ngqubela phambili ye Zimbabwe.
Njengokuqhubeka komzabalazo wethu, ngizaqhubeka ngilandela izinqumo lezi:
Ngiyathembisa!
Yimi: ………………………………………………… Mhlaka: …………………………………………
Umfakazi: ………………………………………… Umfakazi: ……………………………………
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