[WSF-Discuss] Zimbabwe Social Forum: Civic groups to stage marches on Wednesday

[CACIM]

*Civic groups to stage marches on Wednesday*

Posted By *admin* On December 2, 2008 @ 5:23 pm In *Other News*

By Our Correspondent

URL to article: *http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=8161*

HARARE - A group of Zimbabwean civil society groups will Wednesday stage
protest marches throughout the country to protest the deteriorating
economic, political and humanitarian conditions in the country.

The groups will converge under the Zimbabwe Social Forum (ZSF) banner to try
and organise citizens to come together in protest to show their displeasure
at the manner in which the country is being governed.

The protests will be supported by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU) and National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) which had already lined up
protests demanding a new people driven constitution and the removal of bank
cash limits.

"It has been resolved that the only way to resolve the unprecedented
economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe is united direct mass action,"
reads a statement issued by the ZSF secretariat in Harare.

"The hour has now arrived in Zimbabwe. None but us shall free ourselves. We
shall from December 3 gather and march from bank premises in our thousands
as AIDS/HIV activists, traders, students, youths, women, the disabled,
workers, residents, artists, socialists and social, constitutional and
economic justice activists, regardless of whatever the regime throws at us.
The hour of freedom is near."

The Zimbabwe Social Forum is made up of over forty organizations and
movements from the several interests such as Labour and Trade Unions; Youth
organisations; residents' associations; gender organisations, informal
traders, Human Rights organisations, faith-based organisations and those
representing those affected by AIDS/HIV as well as the disabled;.

Apart from the deteriorating humanitarian conditions which have so far led
to a devastating cholera epidemic which has claimed the lives of 425 people
in recent weeks, the ZSF wants to see the abolishment of foreign currency
shops, the declaration of the cholera epidemic as a national disaster, the
provision of free ARV drugs, the re-opening of hospitals and the payment of
living wages to nurses and doctors.

They are also demanding the re-opening of schools and an improvement in the
working and living conditions of school teachers, the provision of
affordable quality state subsidized public transport for all, an end to
harassment of informal and cross border traders and the provision of every
citizen with a passport.

They say they also want to see the restoration of full, affordable and
quality state subsidized social services such as water, electricity, refuse
collection, housing and sewerage facilities.

Zimbabwe which was remarkable for its excellent governance at independence
in 1980, boasting of a vibrant agricultural base, industry and sound
educational system has been reduced to a basket case due to years of
destructive populist policies on the part of President Robert Mugabe's
government.

With an inflation rate of 231 million percent - believed to be much higher
by independent economists - Zimbabwe's moribund economy is tottering on the
brink of collapse. An acute cash crisis is now threatening to destabilise
the country. Members of the Zimbabwean army have in recent days engaged in
mutinous behaviour going on a rampage while assaulting civilians and
breaking into and looting shops in Harare.

Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a devastating cholera outbreak. Some
UN groups say cholera has the potential to wipe out thousands if not
properly dealt with.
 ------------------------------

Article printed from The Zimbabwe Times: *http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.openspaceforum.net/pipermail/worldsocialforum-discuss_openspaceforum.net/attachments/20081204/9f40aa1e/attachment.html>