Cracks have opened in a broad front of organisations formed to protest against human rights abuses and electoral skulduggery in Zimbabwe.
The bone of contention is Zimbabwe’s land-reform programme, which the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) — one of the social movements involved in the front — supports. Other organisations participating in the Zimbabwe Solidarity Conference include the South African Communist Party, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), students, human rights organisations and churches.
The front is planning a series of protests against Mugabe’s regime as Zimbabwe’s parliamentary elections are about to take place.
Differences over the land issue surfaced after a social movement observer delegation, comprising the LPM, the Anti-Privatisation Forum (APF) and Jubilee South Africa, visited Zimbabwe between March 2 and March 11. The group met more than 20 Zimbabwean representatives from churches, civic organisations, labour and women’s movements. Zanu-PF did not meet with them.
On their return to South Africa the LPM refused to take part in the report-back, allegedly because they disagreed with the observer group’s findings.
The LPM representative did not attend a media conference held on Thursday. However, another member told the Mail & Guardian that the group disagreed with the view that condemned Robert Mugabe’s government and sought to ”de-legitimise” his land-reform programme. The LPM believes the programme is ”necessary and useful”.
An LPM representative said the APF was reporting back preconceived views that it held before the fact-finding trip to Zimbabwe. The APF and Jubilee members found that the ruling party had diverted its electoral strategy from one of violent intent to one of more discreet coercion and manipulation of results.
LPM activist Andile Mngxitama said that to reduce the Zimbabwean issue to elections was to play into the hands of politicians and implicitly endorse the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
”In Zimbabwe there are other attempts driven by the poor and the excluded, and we should be listening to them as well, not just the MDC. The struggle in that country should not be of competing forms of political elitism and replacing one set of politicians with another.”
Mngxitama also said people would be puzzled that Cosatu — whose fact-finding teams had twice been turned back by Zimbabwe’s officialdom — had not displayed similar zeal in tackling the slave-labour conditions of Zimbabweans working in South Africa.
Front spokesperson Bishop Rubin Phillip said it was clear the elections would not comply with Southern African Development Community (SADC) principles and guidelines. ”The SADC must actively fulfil its responsibilities in Zimbabwe to open up democratic space that remains open beyond the election. We are disappointed that the SADC has been slow to take up its role in Zimbabwe.”
The front has announced it will intensify action in solidarity with Zimbabweans, including marches to the Zimbabwean High Commission in Pretoria and protests at the Beit Bridge border post near Musina.
Another event is a mock election at the embassy next Tuesday. A spokesperson for Crisis in Zimbabwe said it wished to send the message that expatriate Zimbabweans should contribute to politics. The country’s highest court last week ruled that Zimbabwean expats could not vote.
Protests in the run-up to the Zimbabwean poll
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu): On March 30, members and supporters of Cosatu will assemble and picket at the Beit Bridge border from 10am. This will be followed by a night vigil. The South African Council of Churches (SACC) will join them in the protests and will hold vigils throughout Easter and on the day of the poll.
Young Communist League (YCL) of South Africa: The league will march from the Union Buildings to the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria on March 30 at 1pm to protest against the use of youth militia in Zimbabwe. Marches will take place in Durban and Cape Town on the same day.
Zimbabwe Civic Society: Zimbabweans living in South Africa will have the opportunity to cast their vote during a mock election on March 29, organised by the Zimbabwe Civic Society. Chairperson of the coordinating committee Daniel Molokele said the ”poll” is in protest against the Zimbabwean government’s refusal to allow citizens living outside the country to vote. It will take place at the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria at 10am. Transport will be available from Tembisa, Daveyton, Joubert Park, Mabopane, Diepsloot and Hammanskraal. The main pick-up point is the Masasane taxi rank in Pretoria Street, Hillbrow.