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1st LD Writethru: Zimbabwe second mass strike call fails as organizer arrested

Xinhua, July 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Schools opened, commuter omnibuses plied their routes and it was business as usual in Zimbabwe's most cities as a two-day job boycott called for by protester Evan Mawarire through social media failed to materialize.

Last Wednesday's action left most of the country paralyzed as workers and school pupils stayed at home to protest against deteriorating living conditions and perceived corruption in government.

A Harare worker who declined to be named for fear of possible reprisals said the call for another job action had come too soon after last week's strike.

"Strikes take their toll on people and we should have breathing space so that we do not continue to lose money. Also, some of our children are writing mid-year examinations and I don't think it's proper to disturb them again like we did last week," he said.

Mawarire, who was arrested Tuesday and charged with inciting public violence and disturbing the peace, was due to appear in court later on Wednesday.

About 300 hundred people, most of them draped in the Zimbabwean flag, converged at the Harare Magistrate's Court to show solidarity with Mawarire, while a number of police in riot gear stood watch.

Among the demands, at least two are that President Robert Mugabe should fire corrupt ministers, police roadblocks should be minimized, civil servants should be paid on time and that the government should lift import restrictions recently imposed on some goods.

It also does not want the government to circulate bond notes which will be valued at par with the U.S. dollar predominantly being used in the country.

The government suspects a foreign hand in the staging of last week's demonstration and has vowed to deal with anyone found to have broken the law.

Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo assured the nation that there would be security for transporters and business people wishing to carry on with their work.

He warned that instigators of violence would be dealt with and that legitimate concerns should be addressed through the right channels.

"Let me warn the instigators behind the intended protests that they will face the full wrath of the law," he said. Endit