Some of the 83 members who were arrested on Monday

After much confusion, Jenni Williams has been released from police custody. Inspector Majuru, based at Harare Magistrate’s Court, finally released her after Williams signed a caution under protest. Majuru had insisted that Williams be taken to Harare Central for ‘addressing a gathering in court’ even though both she and her legal representation explained on numerous occasions that she had merely been speaking to members that had been released from court about who needed medical attention. The group was also not even in the immediate vicinity of court. Inspector Majuru would not let her go to Harare Central however as he kept insisting that it was not safe to do so as there were still WOZA members outside court and they would start demonstrating if they caught sight of Williams! After several phone calls between himself and Harare Central, Williams was released.

The 76 women and seven men released this morning after two nights in horrific conditions in Harare Central are all suffering from aches and pains and upset stomachs. 10 people required medical treatment for various ailments including dysentery. Lazarus Mandondo required treatment for severe headaches as he was beaten across his head with baton sticks and made to stand on his head for several hours. Several people are still in the process of being checked and the whole group will be monitored for developing conditions.

It also transpires that a nine-month-old baby was in custody with her mother. It is being investigated why the mother and child were not released earlier. Both mother and baby are still due to be checked by a medical professional.

The group testified to appalling conditions in cells. Clara Manjengwa and Lillian Ntefula, both of whom spent six days in custody in April, confirm that conditions are much worse now than in April. None of the cells, male or female, are in use due to their filthy state requiring all detainees to stay in the passages, which are equally dirty. Over 120 women and over 150 men were squashed in their respective passages. The toilets were not working and in the female cells, no water was available. When the WOZA women asked for cleaning materials so that they could clean their section, they were given a mop but no water. In the male cells, an officer, Moyo, would spray the male prisoners with a hose pipe and make them sing and dance along to a song played on his cell phone. If anyone did not comply, they would be beaten. The WOZA and MOZA activists were also verbally abused by officers. Yesterday, after refusing to pay admission of guilt fines, they were forced to eat their dinner and breakfast this morning in a room filled with human waste ‘to fix them for thinking that they have money’.

WOZA condemns the prolonged detention of the 83 activists, including a baby, in inhumane conditions, their degrading treatment, the torture of Lazarus Mandondo and the arbitrary arrest of Jenni Williams. The demonstrations earlier this week were to highlight police abuses and the concerns of ordinary Zimbabwean citizens about safety in their communities. The behaviour of police towards the women and men of WOZA, human rights defenders exercising their constitutional right to speak out about issues concerning them, only serves as further proof of our concerns. Attempts on the part of WOZA leadership last week to meet with the Commissioner of Police, Augustine Chihuri to discuss the concerns of WOZA members about community safety and to hand over a list of demands were denied by his refusal to meet with WOZA.

WOZA renews its call to members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police to behave in accordance with the ZRP Service Charter, Service Standards and the Police Act. Please remember the people of Zimbabwe are not the enemy to be abused and mistreated, we are your brothers and sisters.

For the full list of demands and more information on WOZA’s observations of police behaviour in Harare and Bulawayo over the last four months, click here: Woza Moya Sep-10

For more information on the ZRP Service Charter, Service Standards or the SARPCCO Harare Protocol Code of Conduct, click on the following links: ZRP Service Charter, ZRP Service Standards, SARPCCO Hre Protocol-Code of Conduct

Update – 9pm
20 WOZA members remain in police custody in Masvingo tonight – their third night – in direct contravention of the 48-hours maximum period allowed under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA). Police gave the excuse that their equipment was not functioning properly so they could not take the statements of all 20 in time. Lawyers also blamed a go-slow at the courts for the inability to bring an urgent High Court application before a judge to demand their immediate release. The group was arrested at noon on Tuesday whilst launching the People’s Charter. The group is expected to appear in court early tomorrow morning (Friday).

The 17 women and three men are split between Masvingo Central and Chikato Police Stations. Please call these stations and demand to know why they are insisting on holding WOZA members illegally.
Masvingo Central – +263 (0) 39 62221.
Chikato – +263 (0) 39 62308

Some of the 83 members who were arrested on Monday

The 83 members arrested on Monday for a peaceful protest about community safety appeared in Harare Magistrate’s Court this morning charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 46, as read with Section 2(v) of the Third Schedule to the Criminal Code – ‘criminal nuisance’. It transpires that police decided to go with these charges instead of obstructing traffic. They were granted free bail and remanded out of custody to 6 October.

The state had tried to get bail set at US $ 50 each and for each of the 83 to report to Harare Central Police Station every Friday but the magistrate refused these conditions, saying that they were too severe for the nature of the charges.

Having been dismissed from court, WOZA leaders were speaking to the group across the road from court, trying to ascertain which of the recently released members needed medical attention when police officers insisted that Jenni Williams, WOZA’s National Coordinator, accompany them to the police post inside Harare Magistrate’s Court for addressing the group. They accused her of ‘addressing a gathering’ and tried to get her to sign a caution admitting that she had addressed a gathering at court. When she attempted to explain that she was merely attempting to provide assistance to those that had been recently released, Inspector Majuru insisted that she be placed under arrest and taken to Law and Order at Harare Central. She is currently being held at Harare Magistrate’s Court until police can provide transport to Harare Central.

WOZA condemns this harassment of its members by police.

WOZA members march to Southampton House in Bulawayo

Following on from a peaceful march to Parliament yesterday, 1,200 members of Women and Men of Zimbabwe marked International Peace Day with a peaceful protest to Southampton House in Bulawayo this morning. Southampton House is the provincial headquarters of police in Bulawayo. No arrests have been reported as yet but as several police vehicles are still driving around central Bulawayo, this may change.

As in Harare, the aim of the peaceful protest was to highlight community safety issues and police behavior in communities and to hand over a set of demands for members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Police Commissioner and the co-Ministers of Home Affairs to police officers stationed outside Parliament. The full list of demands can be found below.

Four separate groups converged on Southampton House where leaders addressed the peaceful group, calling on police officers to revive their Service Charter and Service Standards. As the demonstrators arrived, a senior-ranking police officer was leaving the building. He was presented with the list of demands, which he accepted and took back into the building. As plain-clothed officers came downstairs to make arrests, the last group arrived on the scene, swelling the numbers of protestors. Leaders also called upon all those present to arrest themselves if as much as one person was arrested. The officers decided against arresting and merely observed as the group then peacefully dispersed.

As the group processed through the streets, a uniformed police officer was overheard commenting that “these women are telling the truth” as he read the Woza Moya newsletter.

Meanwhile the 83 members arrested in Harare yesterday remain in custody. It has also come to light that a MOZA member, Lazarus Mandondo, was severely beaten with baton sticks by police officers during a routine counting exercise last night. It is unclear why he was beaten but there is some concern for his welfare as apparently the beating was severe and witnessed by all detainees.

More details about yesterday’s demonstration and arrests can be found in the previous articles below.

Please continue to phone Harare Central Police Station on +263 4 777777 to demand that the WOZA activists be released immediately and that they be treated with dignity and respect.

For the full list of demands and more information on WOZA’s observations of police behaviour in Harare and Bulawayo over the last four months, click here: Woza Moya Sep-10

For more information on the ZRP Service Charter, Service Standards or the SARPCCO Harare Protocol Code of Conduct, click on the following links: ZRP Service Charter, ZRP Service Standards, SARPCCO Hre Protocol-Code of Conduct

Whilst 36 WOZA members remain in custody in Gweru after launching the People’s Charter in the Midlands town yesterday, WOZA members again took to the streets today – this time in Masvingo. The message was the same – the people of Zimbabwe demanding social justice through the People’s Charter.

In the face of heavy police presence, many of the women intending to march scattered, but a brave group of about 30 managed to march several blocks through the centre of the city to the Civic Centre, where all of them were arrested. There were no reports of beatings as yet and lawyers are in attendance.

In Gweru, the total number arrested yesterday was 36, including three women who were arrested when they brought food to those detained. All were expected in court this morning, but we are still waiting for a report on what the charges were and what the outcome was. It is believed they will be charged with participating in an illegal gathering.

More details will be given when they become available.

Monday 5th March – 6pm
Over 100 WOZA members in Gweru marched through the centre of town this morning to launch the People’s Charter and to encourage the people of their city to join in the struggle for social justice.

They marched from the clock along Robert Mugabe Way to the Post Office, where they were stopped by police. They then dispersed in order to avoid beatings, but approximately 20 were arrested and are currently in custody. Several of those in custody were beaten, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known. Lawyers are in attendance at the police station. It appears that some of those arrested were not WOZA members but by-standers, but the details are not yet available.

Two water cannons were also out on the streets but did not deter the members from starting the protest. Neither did police knowledge of the starting point. Once members realized the original starting point had been compromised, they switched to Plan B and then back to Plan A again when police followed them.

More details will be given as they become available.

Four WOZA members, Jenni Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu, Clara Manjengwa and Celina Madukani, have instructed Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to sue the co-Ministers of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone and Kembo Mohadi, over the conditions in Harare Central Police Station. The case refers to the six days that the four women spent in the holding cells at Harare Central Police Station in April for a peaceful protest to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) over poor service and unfair billing practices.

ZLHR will also apply to the Supreme Court, for a declaratur declaring the conditions at Harare Central Police Station Holding Cells, cruel, inhuman and degrading, and thus a violation of section 15 of the Constitution.

To read a full copy of the notice of intention to sue, please click here: Notice-of-Intention-to-Sue 25.08.10

More information about WOZA’s electricity campaign can be read in the electricity category folder to the right

DEMANDING POWER TO THE PEOPLE FROM THE ZIMBABWE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY AUTHORITY (ZESA)

Join WOZA’s campaign. Fill out the following timesheet and deliver it to your local ZESA office: ZESA Power Cut Timesheet

Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) members began to deliver protest notes directly to suburban and city ZESA head offices in April 2007. Our members were complaining about poor service and inefficient billing systems. They complained that they could not afford the high bills and on top of that buy candles, matches, paraffin and firewood. Three years later, our issues remain ignored members organised for protests in April 2010. The peaceful protests were mobilised after members decided they needed to put direct pressure on ZESA to provide a more efficient service and fair and affordable billing system.

Members also attended public meetings of the Competition and Tariff Commission in Harare and Bulawayo. They directly asked questions and made submissions, including a request for prepaid meters so that people only have to pay for the electricity that they use. Members also questioned why their electricity bills are so high when they don’t have a regular electricity supply and why Zimbabwe was supplying electricity to other countries when there is not adequate supply for this country. They want properly publicised load shedding timetables. In many areas members go for days, sometimes weeks without electricity. They also complained about ‘estimated bills’. They want ‘actual’ bills. Those present were not all happy with the responses given by the ZETDC chairman, Mr. Muchai.  In Bulawayo, two members were briefly detained by plain-clothed police officers. They were searched and had their ‘yellow cards’ confiscated.

On 12th April 2010, Bulawayo members marched to ZESA offices in Lobengula Street to deliver yellow cards to ZESA for poor service and high tariffs. When members arrived at the Lobengula Street offices officials quickly closed the gates and locked the doors, refusing to come out to receive the ‘yellow card’, which had to be posted under the door. Again on 15 April, Harare members of WOZA marched to ZESA’s Megawatt House. Once again ZESA officials refused to come out and address the peaceful group so ‘yellow cards’ had to be posted under the door. Riot police armed with tear gas and shotguns arrived and ZESA security guards insisted that riot police arrest WOZA’s National Coordinator Jenni Williams. 65 members responded in solidarity. Police however decided to detain Williams, Mahlangu, Manjengwa and Madukani.  They spent 6 days in custody and were released without charges because the Attorney General refused to prosecute them.

While the four activists languished in filthy conditions, President Robert Mugabe and other politicians were grandstanding at the Independence Day celebration. Mugabe spoke of the need for Zimbabweans to “foster an environment of tolerance and treating each other with dignity and respect irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, tribe, political or religious affiliation.” Empty words without meaning.

After the release of the four leaders, a message was received from ZESA Chief Executive Officer that he wanted to apologise but WOZA is still waiting for an appointment. 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. Since the protests, WOZA leaders conducted a further consultation and over 4,000 members raised the following issues:

This is a member’s typical budget.

WE THEREFORE GIVE ZESA A SECOND YELLOW CARD AND MAKE THE FOLLOWING DEMANDS:

1. Members face power cuts of up to 18 hours! We urgently need proper timetables of load shedding that you will obey.
2. It is well done to ZESA for making electricity saving bulbs available at a cheaper price but we still cannot afford these. Please can ZESA make firewood, candles and matches available at affordable prices. We are worried about the damage to the environment caused by the cutting down of trees but we still need to cook food.
3. This is our final plea for ZESA to do something for the fixed meter consumers who are being cheated. They are willing to pay for the electricity used but you must give them discounts when there is no electricity.
4. Urgently put in place a proper and transparent billing system. Metered consumers will only pay ACTUAL bills. Stop sending us inflated estimates.
5. ZESA should immediately create a smoother process of customer’s claims for compensation. Many people have lost household goods and homes because of power surges.
6. There needs to be a better balance between your staff and equipment payments. Review your staff complement and salary scale. We, the consumers cannot afford to pay the bill for highly paid staff members who do not perform as expected and loot ZESA resources and infrastructure. Review recruitment policy urgently and recruit professionals, not relatives or friends. We are also sure that less luxury cars will mean more transformers for us.
7. ZESA be aware that you have a role to play in community safety and power cuts mean increased muggings and rape.
8. Some hospitals are facing 8-hour power cuts. We demand ZESA to ring mark hospitals as they are essential services and should not face power cuts. Please can there be dignity in death – mortuaries cannot be cut off.
9. Members expressed disappointment that the parliament Competition and Tariff Commission public hearings merely gave ZESA an opportunity to defend themselves instead of genuinely examining if it was time to remove the monopoly or alternatively to discuss the option of returning electricity to city council. We DEMAND that parliament convene further hearings on this issue.
10. Members using fixed meters advised ZESA that the current service only deserved a US$5 payment and not payment calculated for a full service. Along with the warning, members are prepared to pay US$15 if they get 24 hours 7 days a week service. There has been no improvement, so we are going to record the exact hours we receive electricity for the last two weeks of May. After calculating, if there is no improvement, WOZA will give ZESA a red card and “suspension’. A suspension means a ZERO service ZERO bill boycott of payments from 1st June 2010.

Zimbabweans, we DESERVE a better service. Let us demand power to the people. Let us hold hands to fight the darkness brought to us by ZESA. Fill out the power cut timesheet above and deliver it to your local ZESA office to prove how you are being affected by the power cuts.

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

WOZA members arrest themselves in solidarity outside ZESA headquaters in Harare

Watch video footage of the demonstration here: WOZA ZESA demo Harare 15.04.10

In his Independence Day address today, President Robert Mugabe spoke of the need for Zimbabweans to “foster an environment of tolerance and treating each other with dignity and respect irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, tribe, political or religious affiliation.” At the same time, four WOZA activists, Jenni Williams, Magodonga Mahlangu, Clara Manjengwa and Celina Madukani were spending their fourth day in the cold, dark, filthy cells of Harare Central Police Station. Their crime? Exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest and asking electricity service provider, ZESA, to improve their service and revise their flawed billing system. The demonstration in which the four women were arrested, together with 61 comrades who were released without charge later the same day, was entirely peaceful. The women have not been formally charged by police and yet have been subjected to an extended detention. Is this the tolerance, dignity and respect that the President is referring to?

Detention in appalling conditions is the reality for human rights defenders in Zimbabwe. 30 years of independence from colonial rule is an achievement worthy of commemoration. How much sweeter would it have been if the party that helped to liberate the people of Zimbabwe was now not actively involved in their oppression? It is time that the promises of the liberation war are delivered to the people of Zimbabwe.

Please continue to call Harare Central Police Station on (+263 4) 777777 or (+263 4) 736931 or (+263 4) 725803 or (+263 4) 733033 or (+263 4) 721212 to ask police officers why they are continuing to detain the WOZA activists and insist that they not be mistreated in custody.

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