Cosatu condemns arrests, state violence in Zimbabwe SABC News Date posted:Thu 3-Apr-2003 Date published:Wed 2-Apr-2003
Back to previous page		In one documented case, the husband of Viola Shamu, an official of the Agricultural and Plantation Workers' Union was kidnapped, severely beaten and left for dead. Her two young children were also assaulted and she herself has had to go into hiding The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) added its voice today to growing concern over new reports of politically-motivated arrests and state-sanctioned violence in Zimbabwe. "Cosatu condemns the continued brutal repression of activists, through arrests, beatings and torture, by the government of Zimbabwe, following the two-day general strike on March 18 and 19, organised by the opposition MDC (Movement for Democratic Change)," Patrick Craven, a union spokesperson, said in a statement. Gibson Sibanda, the MDC vice-president, was arrested by police on Monday on subversion charges after the opposition won two by-elections in Harare. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the South African Foreign Affairs Minister, meanwhile, is scheduled to travel to the Zimbabwean capital today to attend tomorrow's meeting of the ministerial committee meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Defence and Security. Yesterday, the New National Party said SADC should call an urgent heads-of-state meeting to discuss the ongoing deterioration in Zimbabwe. Craven said Cosatu believed those participating in last month's national strike were exercising their right to protest in support of democracy and their socio-economic demands, and were not subverting the Zimbabwean government. "Cosatu demands the immediate release of MDC vice-president Gibson Sibanda and all other activists who have been arrested, including a number of trade unionists, several of whom were tortured." He said in one documented case, the husband of Viola Shamu, an official of the Agricultural and Plantation Workers' Union was kidnapped, severely beaten and left for dead. Her two young children were also assaulted and she herself has had to go into hiding.