Military warn ZCTU over protests

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

HARARE - Zimbabwe's security forces vowed Tuesday night to crush against
demonstrations planned for Wednesday against the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called for peaceful
protests against debilitating limits on bank withdrawals.

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces, which include the army, air force and the
police, gave warning that the military would not be an idle observer during
the mass action planned by the ZCTU and other key civil society
organisations.

Former Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi, in a rare appearance on state
television during the main 8 pm news bulletin Tuesday, apologised to viewers
for the actions of "unruly elements in the army" who ran amok in the city
centre assaulting foreign currency dealers.

He, however, warned that security forces would bring to bear its full force
upon those perpetrators of uncalled for violence.

The ZCTU maintains the protest will be peaceful.

Fearing an imminent revolt over the withdrawal limits, central bank governor
Gideon Gono hastily raised the limit to Z$100 million a week for individuals
last weekend.

But the ZCTU has refused to call off the strike action saying the withdrawal
limit review from Z$500 000 and Z$1 million daily to Z$100 million and Z$50
million per week, respectively, was not good enough.

Gono sought to blame sanctions for the cash shortages, accusing Germany of
abruptly terminating its 50-year contract with Zimbabwe to supply currency
paper.

"The RBZ is, therefore, doing all it can under the inescapable realities on
the ground to ensure that both companies and individuals continue to get
reasonable cash supplies for their daily transactional needs," Gono said.

But ZCTU secretary-general Wellington Chibhebhe said last night that no
amount of threatening would derail the planned protest.

The planned demonstrations are deemed illegal under the terms of Zimbabwe's
security laws as the labour unions have not sought police permission.
Chibhebhe said one did not need police clearance to visit the bank to
withdraw cash.

By committing the army to the streets and threatening a showdown with the
ZCTU, Sekeramayi raised the stakes a day after tensions boiled over after
dozens of troops from Cranborne Barracks and in full camouflage dress,
staged mass action, seizing cash from money changers, whom they accused of
consorting with the central bank to vandalise the economy.

A soldier told The Zimbabwe Times that they seized the cash because it was
given to street foreign currency dealers by the central bank to source
foreign currency from the black market, starving banks of cash that would
have been paid out to depositors.

The rampaging troops were joined by hundreds of civilians at the corner of
Robert Mugabe and Fourth Streets, in the heart of the capital, chanting
slogans denouncing Gono and calling for his head.

"Harare experienced disturbances perpetrated by a few unruly elements from
the defence forces," Sekeramayi said on national television. "Those actions
are unacceptable, deplorable and reprehensible. The Ministry of Defence
expresses sincere regret that this has happened and would like to assure
Harare residents that this will not happen again."

Sekeramayi said those behind the incident were being investigated and those
found guilty would be brought to book.

He slammed the call for protest action by the ZCTU "and some other
anti-government civic organisations".

Several pressure groups and civil society organisations have stated that
they will join the mass protest Wednesday and called on Zimbabweans to "rise
up in your millions and take part in the nationwide peaceful protest ".

Zimbabwe's umbrella labour body reiterated calls last night on all workers
and ordinary citizens across Zimbabwe to join the anti-central bank
protests, despite threats of suppression.

ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo said countrywide consultations have revealed
a renewed preparedness among workers and ordinary citizens to confront
President Robert Mugabe's authoritarian capitalist regime.

The 250 000-member ZCTU said the review of the withdrawal limit was a plot
to cheat Zimbabweans and demanded that caps on withdrawals be removed
completely.

The protest comes hardly a week after Mugabe renewed Gono's term of office
for another five years, a move that has sparked widespread outrage given his
apparent policy failures and interventions.

Matombo said workers and ordinary citizens would go to their respective
banks on Wednesday and demand to withdraw any amount they want. The workers
and ordinary citizens would picket the banks and would not leave until the
withdrawal limits are removed.

Matombo said the labour leaders would also lead a procession to the central
bank along Samora Machel Avenue to present a petition to Gono.

A splinter labour union sponsored by Zanu-PF to undermine the ZCTU has
immediately sprung to action and urged workers to ignore the call by the
ZCTU to participate in the mass protest.

"We encourage all workers not to participate in the illegal and unnecessary
venture planned by the ZCTU," a statement from the Zimbabwe Federation of
Trade Union (ZFTU) said. The ZFTU is aligned to the Zimbabwe National War
Veterans' Association.

Matombo, however, said workers had indicated that they were ready to brave
repression to gather at all major banks across Zimbabwe demanding their
money.

The labour leader said the protest would be the largest and most peaceful
demonstration to date.

Analysts said that if the overall turnout for the protests was huge, the
demonstrations might create a turning point.

"It seems that the spirit of resistance is clearly on the rise and this
episode is going to be very important in the unfolding struggle," said
labour activist Munyaradzi Mushonga.

"A key aspect of this is going to be the area of leadership, in particular,
whether the rank and file of key unions and ordinary Zimbabweans will be
able to break through the suffocating disorganisation and passivity of the
union bureaucracies. If this occurs, then we could be in for very exciting
times."

The call for Wednesday's mass action comes amid rising political tension and
deepening hardships across the country.

Zimbabwe's economic meltdown is gathering pace, and yesterday there were
almost no banknotes in circulation while water shortages are intensifying
because of the lack of foreign currency to buy chemicals to purify water.

Major employers, including government institutions, were buying cash on the
black market to pay employees. Fuel was unavailable at garages around the
capital and only small amounts were on offer on the black market.