COSATU condemns invasion of ZCTU offices!

The Congress of South African Trade Unions condemns in the strongest
possible terms the Zimbabwe police invasion of the offices of the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) this morning, 13 March. They have locked all
the officials inside and confiscated the keys.

This is a blatant and outrageous violation of trade union rights. We demand
that they immediately withdraw from the offices, free all those detained and
return the keys.

It is now clear that the Zimbabwe government is ruthlessly trampling on any
remaining human rights.

The murder of Gift Tandare, the Youth Chairperson of the National
Constitutional Assembly in the Glenview suburb in Harare, the arrest,
beating and torture of Morgan Tsvangirai and other leaders of the
opposition, and the refusal to allow anyone, including doctors and lawyers,
to visit them, are clear proof that the government will stop at nothing to
try to crush the resistance of the people.

COSATU send its deepest condolences to Gift Tandare's wife and three
children.

COSATU also deplores the shamefully weak response to these latest outrages
by South African government spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepe, who merely said:
"We have noted the development in Zimbabwe. Matters of mutual concern are
discussed within the existing diplomatic mechanism between South Africa and
Zimbabwe."

Such a response is disgraceful, in the face of such massive attacks on
democracy and human rights, especially coming from those who owed so much to
international solidarity when South Africans were fighting for democracy and
human rights against the apartheid regime.

We call upon the governments of South Africa and the rest of the continent
to condemn the Zimbabwe government, demand the immediate release of those
arrested and the restoration of human rights.

COSATU is mobilising its members in support of the general strike called by
the ZCTU for 3 and 4 April, and calls upon all South Africans to join us and
show their solidarity with the oppressed people of Zimbabwe.

Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)

Congress of South African Trade Unions

1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets

Braamfontein, 2017

P.O.Box 1019

Johannesburg, 2000

SOUTH AFRICA

Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24

Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667

Cell: 0828217456

E-Mail: <mailto:patrick@cosatu.org.za> patrick@cosatu.org.za