159 arrested in anti-Mugabe protests in Bulawayo
Zim Online
Tue 14 February 2006
BULAWAYO - Police brandishing whips and some carrying guns broke
up
demonstrations by women and students in Bulawayo city and arrested 159
of
the protesters who were marching across the city calling on President
Robert
Mugabe to resign.
The students from the National University of Science and
Technology
and members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were by late last
night
still being detained at Bulawayo central police station. A one-year old
baby
taken along with its mother who was part of the demonstrators was also
in
police cells.
WOZA leader Jennifer Williams, who was among those arrested, told
ZimOnline that the protest was part of a Valentine message to Mugabe
and his
ruling ZANU PF party to address Zimbabwe's fast-deteriorating economic
crisis and ensure availability of basic commodities.
Williams said: "We were marching for bread and roses. We deserve
roses
and the dignity they stand for. Our message to the regime, Mugabe in
particular, is that he has failed and should just leave office. We are
tired
of starvation."
Zimbabwe is in its sixth year of a severe economic recession
described
by the World Bank as unseen in a country not at war. The economic
crisis has
manifested itself in high inflation which according to figures released
by
the government's Central Statistical Office yesterday shot up to 613.2
percent in January, up from the 585.5 percent recorded the previous
month.
In addition, the economic crisis has also spawned acute shortages
of
food, fuel, electricity, bread, essential medical drugs and just about
every
basic survival commodity.
The women and student marchers, who numbered more than 500, were
carrying red roses and waving placards some of which read: "We are
dying of
starvation and all we need is food on the table. Not cheap politics."
Mugabe, blamed by critics of ruining Zimbabwe's once vibrant
economy,
routinely pleads innocent of the charge of wrecking the economy and
instead
blames Western countries he says are sabotaging the southern African
nation's economy to fix Harare for seizing white-owned land for
redistribution to landless blacks.
Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the arrest of the
Bulawayo
protesters but said no charges had been laid against them yet because
police
were still carrying out investigations.
The police sometimes with the help of Zimbabwe army soldiers
regularly
use force to break up demonstrations by opposition supporters and other
government opponents.
Meanwhile, the police on Sunday night heavily assaulted informal
traders near Harare's Market Square bus termini. Baton wielding police
officers descended on the traders as they checked their goods after
arriving
by bus from Botswana.
One of the traders told ZimOnline: "It was hardly 15 minutes
after we
had disembarked from the bus and we were checking our goods to see
whether
everything had been offloaded from the bus when a police truck suddenly
appeared from around a corner.
"The policemen jumped off the truck and just started beating us
without saying why they were beating us. We just had to run away."
A police spokesman, Oliver Mandipaka, said that he was not aware
of
the incident but said people were free to make formal complaints to
police
authorities if they felt they were treated unfairly by members of the
law
enforcement agency.
"I am not aware that anybody was beaten up by the police. Anyone
who
thinks he has been unfairly treated by the police should make a formal
complaint and we will look at that," Mandipaka said. - ZimOnline
Author notes
Written February 14th, 2006
In a list
What did you think
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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this is very nice poetry!i love how you put the words into a respectful piece of poetry!to tell you the truth i think this is one of the best poems here on allpoetry!well i have to go!always do your best and never give up!
sincerely,
sweetdancer (yasmine)
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I am thankful to you for sharing this information
and been able to read it
for I was not aware of these happenings taking place in your land
I can imagine how dificult it is for you there you have my sympathy,and suport
well writen and very informative
Thank you
Nick
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The years just pass on and nothing happens, how many even today know of Zimbabwe and its problems, I am glad you are giving so muc importance to it... Breaks my heart to think of what is happening to that wonderful country which I used to call Africa's best kept secret.... How much longer can they suffer like this..
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This piece was so informative, i have been locked away form the outside world for a while and have relised why...it's because of this the destruction thats been soiling our world. Nothing god comes of politics and i was told today you "can never hate someone" i proved this person wrong just now by reading this piece, i and i'm sure many of us hate the politians who are trying to protect their money rather than their people. I bet eif you asked every politian why they chose this pathway they would all reply "because i wanted to make a difference" lol. I loved this piece and thanks so much for showing me once again the happenings in this world at the moment it makes me want to change some of the bad things just to influence the good...Great Write!!!
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This is an amazing piece It was long for my usually tastes but well worth the reading time. It is true that sp pften we get so caught up in our own pathetic little lives that we ignore what is happening all over the world.
We celebrate holidays such as Christmas or Valentines day, days which are supposed to be about love and giving yet our scope of love and giving go only as far as "that cute new neighbour" or "That guy who sits next to me in math, you know?"
Great Piece a very good eye opener.
xXx -
Excedllent; applaud the publicity given here
I appreciate that you just wanted to post this message rather than "poetise" it. Don`t quite know what the answer is here. Elections are only window-dressing, and worthless in a totalitarian state. The U.N. seems powerless to intervene. Its a sad state of affairs. Aid just gets swollowed up in corruption. -
It is not a poem, This is really happening and I wanted to open eyes make people aware, so I choose to spend my allpoetry points this way. I am thankful that you took the time to stop by and read it, and even more so, to comment on it. It means a great deal to me. Thank You.
Anna -
You should actually try to put this into a poetry format, it could be really cool like that! Or maybe you are just trying to get a point across. I have a lot of appreciation for this write and what it stands for. I like how it is pointing out that on a day of "love" there are still negative things going on the world, because it's true... there are. Is this really based on truth? It sounds to realistic to be made up. Anyway, thank you for sharing that with everyone. Keep writing and informing! And I hope you do have a happy valentine's day!
<3 Jaden -
this is a great poem but it could be even better
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very interesting piece. i think that as a poem if you played with the layout of the words on the page this could be much stronger...but i like the point and how its not about love
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