PRESS STATEMENT
By PTUZ
19 June 2013
NON-SANCTION OF THE PLANNED MARCH TO MINISTER COLTART’S OFFICE
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has refused to sanction the Wednesday, 19th of June 2013 march to Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Honourable Senator David Coltart’s office by members of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) to present a petition following the ongoing arbitrary transfer of teachers in the Harare Metropolitan Province since the beginning of this second school term.
PTUZ had formally informed both the Minister and his permanent secretary, Mrs Constance Chigwamba in writing on 13 June 2013 about the planned march. A notification letter was also written to the police on 12 June 2013 in terms of the requirements of the Public Order and Security Act [Chapter 11:17].
This refusal by the police came as a shock to PTUZ as the Minister had written on 13 June 2013 agreeing to receive the petition. “I hereby acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 13th June 2013 informing me about your member’s plans to present a petition to the Ministry. I will make myself available to receive the petition. In this regard, I hereby advise you to liaise with my office closely so that I know what time you will be coming to avoid double-booking myself,†reads Minister Coltart’s response to PTUZ. It was for this reason that plans for the march were made.
It was only this morning that the PTUZ Information, Education and Research Officer, Fannuel Mabhugu was called by the police to report to the Harare Central Police Station to collect the response from the police. He was informed that the police could not grant the PTUZ its request because of a critical shortage of “human and material resources†to monitor the march since President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had functions at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) and the Jubilee Centre respectively. We are shocked that the police are saying this when they have always told the nation that the force is more than ready to deal with an eventuality. It is also disappointing that the police continues to invoke the draconian legislation to prevent workers and citizens from exercising their democratic right to assemble and protest.
We are, therefore, left with no option but to file a High Court interdict against the police so that the law courts may be the final arbiter to the impasse. Right there is a truck-load of police officers in riot gear at Africa Unity Square ready to deal with the situation should we choose to defy the order. This is contrary to their argument that they are under-staffed. We cannot just sit and watch our members being victimized by overzealous and corrupt officials in the Ministry of Education.
RAYMOND MAJONGWE, SECRETARY GENERAL