Zimbabwean socialists face treason trial, 18 July

Submitted by AWL on 7 July, 2011 - 1:13

From the ISO Zimbabwe:

The International Socialist Organisation (ISO) Zimbabwe wishes to update all progressive cadres, socialists, revolutionaries and democrats who have been in solidarity with us since the unjust February 19th 2011 arrest, detention and torture of ISO comrades, student leaders and human rights activists that the case of State v Munyaradzi Gwisai and 6 Others goes to court on the 18 July 2011. The trial will take place at the Rotten Row magistrates Court Regional Court 18 in Harare, Zimbabwe at 8.30am.

Our National Coordinating Committee comrades Munyaradzi Gwisai, Tafadzwa Choto and Tatenda Mombeyarara will be standing, trial together with trade unionist Edison Chakuma, debt rights activist and ex-ISO comrade Hopewell Gumbo and student leader Welcome Zimuto.

We fully understand that the evil alliance between the state and the entire capitalist establishment should be resisted by all means. We are together in the struggle. Furthermore, the capitalist regimes of the world realize that their time is up and they have decided to give their last kicks, be it in Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UK, Tunisia, Egypt, and Swaziland and even here in Zimbabwe where our comrades are facing similar charges for defending democracy and freedom of expression.

Your solidarity messages condemning our arrests were important in increasing the political cost on ZANU PF for keeping us detained. You indeed fought for our freedom. They can beat us, kill us and detain us. But they will not survive the revulsion of the intrinsic contradictions of capitalism that we are exposing. Workers will always stand up and revolt. We won’t stand by while rampant corruption and crass materialism disable both government and private sector. We will shout at the top of our voices when we detect abuse of power and political intolerance. Egypt and Tunisia are lessons for the poor and an opener to another Russia 1917. However the workers and the oppressed masses of the present world if united can easily make capitalism history as well as turn all past revolts into tea-drinking sessions. Jambanja Ndizvo!

As revolutionary socialists we remain committed to the resolve and commitment that there is only one solution to capitalism. That solution is a revolution.

Fire the last time!!

Please sent messages of solidarity to iso.zim@gmail.com and copy to solidarity@freethemnow.com

Visit the websites www.freethemnow.com, isozim.blogspot.com or our Facebook page.

MORE ACTION

You can also put pressure on Zimbabwean state by calling the following numbers:
* Ministry of Justice +263 4 734920/24
* Attorney General +263 4 774586/7;772987/8;772992
* Ministry of Home Affairs +263 4 703641/3 E-mail: moha@gvt.co.zw
* 0ffce of the President & cabinet +263 4 707091/7

Smash Capitalism! Viva Socialism!
Solidarity Forever
ISO (Zim) National Coordinating Committee

Comments

Submitted by AWL on Thu, 07/07/2011 - 13:47

Donate to the trenches: support the Medical Professional and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe!

By Mike Sambo (MPAWUZ General Secretary)

The Medical Professional And Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe (MPAWUZ) is a trade union in Zimbabwe, duly registered with the Ministry of Labour and Social Services, to represent the interests of employees in the private medical and allied sectors. These include hospital, ambulance, laboratory staff etc.

For some years, MPAWUZ was run by devious pro-Mugabe government elements only accountable to government, for Mugabe had a particular interest on keeping workers under his control so that they could not organize against his regime.

Workers were not happy with this situation and in 2005, when the opposition movement in Zimbabwe became a bit stronger, socialists and other rank-and-file workers organized a rank-and-file group within the union. This group managed to remove the unpopular pro-ZANU PF leaders and started rebuilding the union and restoring confidence among its members. The process was not an easy one, because it also coincided with the time when the country was under severe economic hardships that saw massive exodus of professionals going to neighboring countries for greener pastures. It became hard for the new progressive leadership to administer the union, which also had to face periodic attacks from pro-government elements and bosses who had taken advantage of the weak pro-government leadership and give starvation wages to workers.

With new leadership MPAWUZ became a politically conscious union, believing in the emancipation of the working class through its own activities. Members are urged to take it upon themselves to for fight liberation, not to rely on ZANU PF or the main opposition party MDC, or any other individuals who purport to be liberators. We also believe in unity of workers of the world to break chains of bondage confining more than three quarters of humanity to servitude. We are against capitalism as a root cause of all troubles that humanity face.

Locally we joined hands with other progressive organizations in Zimbabwe in fighting against an anti-workers government and for that reason some of MPAWUZ leaders got persecuted by the police from time to time.

MPAWUZ has no illusions in the MDC but we believe it is a better devil than Mugabe`s ZANU PF. Together with others we are in the constitutional reform process to push to a new constitution that respects workers' and trade union rights, unlike the current constitution, inherited from former colonial masters, with strong anti-trade union provisions.

Treason charges

As part of our educational program, and after having been inspired by heroic working class activities in North Africa, where undemocratic governments have been unseat by organized protests, MPAWUZ took part in a meeting organised by the International Socialist Organisation of Zimbabwe on 19 February 2011. The meeting discussed what lessons can be drawn from such working people`s buoyancy in Zimbabwe and for Africa at large. The meeting drew participation from socialists, conscious student activists, trade unionists and HIV/AIDS activists. The meeting was subsequently disrupted by police and members of the secret police who raided our offices and detained everyone who attended the meeting.

Charges of treason and subversion of a constitutional government were leveled against the group; such charges carry a sentence of life imprisonment in Zimbabwe.

Comrades were placed in detention and eventual incarceration under sadistic torture and hardships at Harare Central Police Station and subsequently at Harare Remand Prison in Newlands for seventeen days.

On 7 March 2011 thirty-nine comrades were released and freed by Harare Magistrate, as the state could not give substantial evidence warranting treason charges. Unfortunately the state maintained the same charges against six other comrades who were left to languish in the filthy remand prisons were they are in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

Amongst the detained comrades were the MPAWUZ General Secretary Mike Sambo, and one of our national executive members, Munyaradzi Maregedze.

Upon arrest, police confiscated a laptop machine that belongs to MPAWUZ that was being used to watch the videos, a projector and other office machines.

Appeal

The Medical Professional and Allied Workers Union appeals to all fraternal Trade Unions to assist in the re-equipment of our office for we were left grounded without any machines to use. Though powerful and politically conscious, our union is still very small; without help, we can hardly afford to replace the looted property anytime soon.

Donations in cash or kind are most welcome, contact us on mpawuz@gmail.com for our banking details.

Submitted by AWL on Tue, 12/07/2011 - 13:02

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