Zimbabwe

Trade unionists picket Zimbabwe border

South African trade unionists picketed the Zimbabwe border last week to demand democratic and labour reforms ahead of Zimbabwe’s 31 March parliamentary elections. Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) gathered close to the border calling for solidarity with Zimbabwe's labour movement, which is increasingly restricted by security laws imposed by Mugabe's government. COSATU accuses the Zimbabwean government of human rights abuses and says the elections will not be free and fair. Two COSATU delegations have been expelled from Zimbabwe over the past year, most recently in...

What’s wrong with the left?

By Peter Tatchell* Has the left lost the plot? On a number of issues sections of the left have abandoned the principles of universal human rights and social justice. Over a number of years I have done solidarity work with Zimbabweans struggling for democracy, socialism and human rights. They have not had much support from the mainstream left. Why Zimbabwe? I have a copy of ZANU’s 1970s political programme: its goals were a socialist democracy with a free press and workers’ rights. That is why I supported Mugabe and ZANU in their liberation struggle. It is also why I now oppose the present...

COSATU delegation visits Zimbabwe

During the last week of October, a delegation from the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) arrived in Zimbabwe for a brief “fact-finding mission”. The COSATU visit was opposed by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. During its first meeting with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), COSATU delegates were detained by police. Within hours, they were dumped at the Zimbabwe-South African border. A war of words broke out between COSATU and its alliance partner, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), over the incident. COSATU was accused of showing “contempt for a head of...

Zimbabwe social forum: the future beckons

When it happened minds came together. Struggles converged like many rivulets forming a powerful river. Floating hopes joined to become an unstoppable Hope. It all flowed towards the future. This was the force of the just-ended Zimbabwe Social Forum as thousands of radical spirits came together in central Harare from 28-30 October. Problems were attacked, common struggles found. Visions of The Society We Want abounded, strategies were laid out. The future was on the horizon, it felt. The Powers-That-Shouldn’t-Be had tried to stop the event. The police denied us “permission” to host the forum...

Workers of the World

French strikes over: we'll be back 50th anniversary of East German uprising Strike wave in South Korea tests the new president Zimbabwe extends strike bans Demonstration against Lula's government Cambodian police kill demonstrators No jobs for sacked Venezuelan oil workers Celebrate 100 years of the car industry? ICFTU figures for deaths of trade unionists French strikes over: we'll be back The inspiring fight of French workers against the Chirac-Raffarin government's plans to cut their pensions is over. The legislation is going through parliament where the government has a massive majority...

Workers of the world

by Pablo Velasco Peruvian unions defy state of emergency Zimbabwe opposition strikes Lula gets backing from right Class struggle in Israel Indonesian socialists to contest elections Peruvian unions defy state of emergency Thousands of trade unionists in Peru marched through the capital Lima last week in defiance of the government's state of emergency. In Arequipa, the second largest city, local leaders called a general strike to support the protest. There were protests in other major cities. On 27 May President Toledo imposed the state of emergency in the midst of a rising wave of discontent...

Zimbabwe teachers strike

Teachers in Zimbabwe have stayed out on strike, defying a court ruling to return to work. The strike, organised by the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta), was declared illegal and teachers ordered to report for duty within 48 hours by the Labour Court on 20 May. Zimta said it would comply with the order and urged its members to return to work. But most teachers and students remained at home. Teachers and students in Harare said the strike was continuing. The strike started when schools opened on May 8. Teachers want a minimum monthly salary to bring them in line with those of other civil...

May Day in Zimbabwe

Rosa Zulu of the International Socialist Organisation reports. In Harare, 6,000 workers in Gwanzura stadium gave the ISO a rousing welcome. We have now assumed the role of opposition faction leaders in the Movement for Democratic Change. We oppose the talks MDC have with the ZANU(PF) government. We organised students from the University of Zimbabwe, who came in a hired bus. Also groups from the National Constitutional Assembly and the Progressive Teachers Union. We went in a convoy of 100 singing supporters up to a kilometre from the stadium. We then marched through the township of Highfield...

Zimbabwe socialist says: build independent workers' movement

By Rosa Zulu of the International Socialist Organisation of Zimbabwe, writing just two days before the country's presidential election. With elections looming thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans are already disillusioned and have no interest in voting. 12 months after the Movement for Democratic Change became the official “opposition” in Parliament, the mood for change experienced in June 2000 has evaporated. The question that must be asked is why has this happened? The answer lies in the power that Parliament has and the nature of reformist parties themselves like the MDC. Firstly, Parliament...

Support the Zimbabwean socialists!

Support the work of the Zimbabwean socialists - donations to the ISO can be sent to the following bank account: First Direct Bank, 40 Wakefield Road, Leeds, LS98 1FO. Account name: John Page; sort code: 40-47-78; account number: 1118 5489. Please e-mail details of deposits to isozim@hotmail.com. - To receive email updates from the Zimbabwe ISO, send a request to isozim@hotmail.com. Below, Rosa Zulu, from the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe, explains why the socialists say: "No to dictatorship, no to neo-liberalism", trying to create an alternative both to Mugabe and to the MDC...

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