Senior Zim NGO leaders arrested

HARARE – Zimbabwe police at have arrested two top civic society leaders after a non-governmental organisations (NGO) meeting that called on African leaders to ensure full implementation of a power-sharing agreement that set up the country’s coalition government.

The police, who are expected to bring the civic leaders to court today, accuse National Association of NGOs (NANGO) chairperson Dadirai Chikwendo and chief executive officer Cephas Zinhumwe of convening a political meeting without first notifying the law enforcement agency as required by law. The two were arrested Sunday.

"They were arrested for holding a public meeting …. for failure to notify the police of the meeting," said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights director, Irene Petras.

The Public Order and Security Act requires Zimbabweans to notify police first before holding public political meetings and demonstrations, however professional and other special interest groups are not required to notify police of their meetings.

The NANGO meeting at the weekend in the resort town of Victoria Falls was a special event known as the Director’s Summer School and open only to directors from NGOs in Zimbabwe who use the annual gathering to reflect on their work.

The NANGO yesterday said it believed the arrest of its senior leaders was because of a statement issued at the directors meeting urging the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) to ensure full implementation of the global political agreement (GPA) or power-sharing agreement signed by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last year.

The SADC and the AU are the guarantors of the GPA.

NANGO said: “Police charges against the two stemmed from the statement issued by the directors in which they called for the intervention of SADC and the AU to ensure that the GPA was fully implemented.”

The association also noted the arrest of its leaders came on the back of sustained attacks against civic society groups in the state-owned media that has accused NGOs of aiding alleged Western efforts to overthrow Mugabe.

State newspapers, radio and television remain under the tight control of allies of Mugabe despite formation of the coalition government and appointment of a Tsvangirai ally as deputy information minister.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was not immediately available for comment on the arrest of the NANGO leaders.

Under the GPA Mugabe, Tsvangirai and third coalition partner Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara undertook to implement a wide range of reforms to revive Zimbabwe’s economy and to reshape and democratise the country’s politics.

Zimbabwe’s principal political leaders also agreed to ensure the rule of law and to uphold human rights.

But Mugabe and Tsvangirai, the main partners in the tripartite coalition, have wrangled over implementation of the GPA, with each accusing the other of breaching terms of the agreement and failure to keep their word.

Tsvangirai more than a week ago partially withdrew his MDC party from the unity government and said he was cutting cooperation with Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, blaming the veteran leader’s obstinacy for failing to fulfil the GPA and the slow pace of democratic reforms.

However Tsvangirai met his coalition partners on Monday to try to resolve their differences ahead of a SADC ministerial delegation expected in the country later this week. – ZimOnline.