Reuters

19th August 2019

 Soldiers and police deployed in large numbers in Zimbabwe’s second city Bulawayo on Monday to enforce a ban on an anti-government demonstration, as the country’s main opposition party sought to overturn that decision in court.

The street protest was the second called in four days by the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC), which accuses President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of repression and economic mismanagement.

Authorities had also banned Friday’s gathering in Harare, intended as the launch event of a nationwide protest movement. The MDC called it off, saying it aimed to avert bloodshed after police there rounded up its followers and dispersed them with batons and water cannon.

In a similar show of force in Bulawayo, an MDC heartland, authorities prohibited the march on Sunday and on Monday sent soldiers in trucks into the centre of the city and nearby townships, bolstering police who patrolled on foot and lorries, witnesses said.

Businesses remained open and residents circulated as normal in the city, however.

David Coltart, an MDC senator from Bulawayo and lawyer, called the ban “clearly unconstitutional and unjust”, and told Reuters the party had lodged a court appeal that city magistrates would hear on Monday morning.

The Standard

19th August 2019

Former Education minister David Coltart says Zimbabwe has a disturbing culture of violence that needs to be dealt with.

Coltart, who is the new treasurer-general for the main opposition MDC, said both the opposition and ruling Zanu-PF were to blame.

The veteran lawyer said the liberation war left a bitter legacy that continues to blight the country’s political landscape. Coltart (DC) was speaking in an exclusive interview with Alpha Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube (TN) on the platform In Conversation with Trevor.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

TN: You are a person of faith, you are a Christian. Tell me, how has your faith informed your politics?

TN: Trevor, I only became a Christian at university in 1981. Coming to faith in 1981 had a profound impact on my outlook.

The one central tenet of the Christian faith is that we are all fallen people.

We have our weaknesses, but it also helped me understand some of my weaknesses.

It helped understand where other people are coming from, a major influence on my life and certainly on my approach to politics.

The Bible is an amazing guide for morality and is a good guide to how nations should run and certainly political parties should run.

TN: So, what are David Coltart’s weaknesses?

DC: You have to have my wife to spell all of those out, but, of course, they are many.

I tend to be bullish, a bull in a china shop sometimes. When I want to get things done, I become too determined and I don’t always listen to people around me.

TN: Is that a strength or weakness?

DC: One thing I say about everyone’s character is that often we find two sides of the same coin.

A person’s character’s strength is matched by the same weakness. So it can be a strength, but it can also be a weakness.

TN: Your book, The Struggle Continues, 50 Years of Tyranny, tells a journey of tyranny in Rhodesia, it tells a journey of tyranny in Zimbabwe, it also exposes violence in Zanu-PF and violence in MDC. First of all, how have sales been?

DC: The sales have been amazing. My publisher said that if we sold 2 000 copies, they would be happy.

That same publisher achieved sales of 10 000 with (South African President Cyril) Ramaphosa.

My book is sitting at around 7 000, which is a drop in the ocean if you are talking about book sales in America or Europe. But in the Southern Africa context, the publishers are very pleased.

TN: Looking at the politics of the violence in Zanu-PF, the violence in MDC, with that experience of research you did, what’s your takeaway, what are the lessons?

DC: Well, it’s much deeper than MDC and Zanu-PF.

The reason the book is sub-titled 50 Years of Tyranny is because sadly our country has seen decades of violence that goes back to the 1960s and the Rhodesian Front and Zanu-PF were both guilty for the war and for the violence that affected our country in the 1970s and tragically that has left a bitter legacy, which has continued in the 1980s and 1990s and even the MDC, which has committed itself to being a non-violent democratic party, has caught a cold by sitting too close on occasions to Zanu-PF, which I believe is a fundamentally violent party.

TN: You have been accused of having been a police officer or an informer. You deal with it in the book. I want you to use this opportunity to address this issue. What’s your position regarding that allegation?

DC: It’s not an allegation. It’s true. I wasn’t an informer. I was a regular member of the (British South African Police.) All young white men were conscripted. I was no different.

I went in as a 17-year-old, a few weeks before I turned 18.

At the time, my parents tried to persuade me not to, but I was part of my peer group and the peer group thought that was the right thing to do.

It’s something, which I look back on with regret. I wish that I had taken the wise counsel of my parents, but many of us did things which we regret when we were 17 or 18 year old.

I learnt a lot from it, the best thing I can say about it is the profound understanding that war is evil and propaganda can be used by old men to subvert young men for their own goals.

And so it has left me with a deep-rooted commitment to non-violence and I believe in Zimbabwe we simply have to draw the line on the sand on violence. We need to stop violence.

TN: The one thing that touched me a lot in the book is you relating the story of your family having to be moved from one place to the other, running away, escaping Zanu-PF operatives, CIO, like that. Given where we are right now, you continuing to be in politics, has the situation changed at all?

DC: Personally yes. My interaction with Zanu-PF goes back a long way.

I was first threatened with arrest way back in 1989 soon after the Unity Accord when I was representing ex-Zipra dissidents.

But, of course, in the early 2000s and up to 2012, I suffered four assassination attempts, two of which included my family.

Those were shocking, terrible things to go through. I think with the loss of office and the loss of elections in 2013, I did not constitute the same threat.

So that threat level lessened.

However, with my new office, we have tightened up security, we have seen recently the attempted abductions at a (Zimbabwe Council of Churches) event has been a warning to all of us that sadly it could happen again.

TN: But have you been personally threatened?

DC: I have not been personally threatened. I have not received any threats since the last attempt on my life in 2012 when I was actually a minister.

TN: You must be proud of what Doug Coltart is doing, following up dad and doing amazing work?

DC: I am very grateful for Doug and for my entire family.

We are blessed in a unique way in that four of our children are committed to Zimbabwe.

We have three of our children in Zimbabwe with our second son coming back to Zimbabwe next year.

They, like me, have a deep-rooted passion for the country, deep-rooted faith in the future of this country.

I often say unfortunately, my generation because of the war and white supremacy and because of discrimination and all the hurt that was brought by my generation, there is a limit to what my generation could do.

I say to my children, it’s your generation that is going to deliver the Zimbabwe that we all pray for.

TN: Congratulations on the MDC congress. Did it go according to expectations?

DC: I was amazed. I had been out of the mainstream MDC for quite some time, going back to 2005.

So I didn’t understand the mainstream MDC. The MDC congress at Gweru was heartwarming.

We had over 4 500 delegates and these were poor people generally.

They came in buses and not fancy cars and many of them slept at Mkoba Stadium. You know how cold Gweru can get.

I was born in Gweru, so I know.

The party was broke, so we couldn’t provide food, yet the resilience, the determination of those delegates was inspiring to me, quite encouraging.

TN: The other story is about a group of political leaders who had left the MDC in a big huff managed to find themselves under the same tent. How was that done? What was the overriding interest that brought these people back again after having fought so much in public?

DC: I think Morgan Tsvangirai started the process. Prior to his death, I had constructive interaction with Morgan Tsvangirai.

I think he realised after 2013 that unless he re-united the party, there won’t be any hope of winning an election.

So he definitely started the process, but, of course, he was very ill and didn’t have the energy to see the process through.

Nelson Chamisa’s strength is that immediately when he assumed office he reached out to people.

The day after he had been somewhat controversially elected as leader, he phoned and he said we have worked well together, David, I want to reunite the party.

He has been exceptionally pro-active in reaching out to people like Welshman Ncube and others.

So, he deserves a lot of credit for the reunification of the original MDC.

TN: You said his somewhat controversial election; do you want to expand on that?

DC: It was controversial to the extent that it was disputed. It was disputed by Thokozani Khupe. I don’t really blame Nelson Chamisa for that.

I think the problem was that the party had not amended the constitution, it was a mess.

I think it was exacerbated by the fact that Morgan was so ill and terminal and literally did not have the energy to sort out that mess and that’s what I mean by controversial.

I think that now it has been resolved to the extent that Thoko Khupe has had her own congress.

We now had our own congress where Nelson Chamisa was elected overwhelmingly. So, it’s now history.

TN: You are giving lots of credit to Chamisa for the role in bringing people together, what about those other politicians that went away, was it the Chamisa factor? Was it something that made them want to come back?

DC: We have been in the trenches for two decades, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti and Nelson Chamisa.

We have been together in this struggle. The split in 2005 was a gift to Robert Mugabe. It was a gift to Zanu-PF.

We looked back and recognised that we really needed to work out our differences and that is a common understanding. Divided we will never be able to constitute a force against Zanu-PF.

TN: So there is now unity in the party?

DC: There is unity among those who participated in that congress. Obviously there are still divisions with some of our old colleagues such as Thokozani Khupe.

TN: Given the clearly immense sacrifices made by senior members of MDC to come together to bring a united MDC, could the same effort not be applied in bringing national dialogue in this country.

DC: What has happened with the MDC post-congress is that some people like myself, Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti have come back into the mainstream MDC.

If you look, for example, at Welshman Ncube’s history you will see that he is a moderate person.

He has always been tempered in his language and he is always committed to constitutionalism, he respects the rule of law and a peaceful process.

I stand for the same things.

So, what the public needs to understand is that there is a consensus that we are committed to stabilising the country and to take the country through meaningful dialogue.

What we believe though is that the playing field is uneven at present.

We think — and I think justifiably — there are two dominant political parties in the country and two dominant political leaders, Nelson Chamisa and Emmerson Mnangagwa, that is borne out by the election results.

That’s not to say other players can’t have a seat at the table, but in reality they are not the powerful political players, they don’t deliver the massive constituencies.

So the dialogue has to be primarily between those two parties and two leaders. But it cannot be a walk-down.
Both of the protagonists need a neutral interlocutor who can ensure that there is fair play. A neutral referee or umpire.

TN: So you believe there is scope for dialogue?
DC: There has to be scope, Trevor. When we look at the chaos the country is facing and more than that, the suffering of people.

So when poor people are battling to find bread, there is an obligation on political leaders to put aside their personal preferences and ambitions with the best interests of the nation.

TN: What will it take for us to get there?

DC: First of all, it takes genuineness. If leaders are involved in smoke and mirror games and are not genuinely interested in establishing the country, respecting the constitution, it’s very difficult for dialogue to take place.

Secondly, everyone has to be committed to constitutionalism, to respecting the constitution and implementing the constitution in letter and spirit.

There has to be mutual respect.

One of the things that is bogging the prospect of dialogue is the issue of legitimacy. Nelson Chamisa and the rest of us contest that election result.

TN: Even after the Constitutional Court made its ruling?

DC: As a lawyer, I have major problems regarding the process employed by the Constitutional Court. Obviously I am biased.

TN: How do we deal with the issue of legitimacy so that it is not a stumbling block to dialogue?

DC: I think both leaders have to park that issue. In other words, Emmerson Mnangagwa mustn’t be insisting that he be recognised .

Nelson Chamisa must say ok, I dispute that, but I am gonna park this issue for national interest so that we can get to the substantive issue.

Because if both stand on their respective positions, it’s gonna be difficult for dialogue to pursue.

The Standard

18th August 2019

MDC treasurer general David Coltart has said there is need for both President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the opposition party’s leader Nelson Chamisa to drop their hardline positions if genuine dialogue about the country’s political crisis is to take off.

Mnangagwa last week rejected Chamisa’s demands for a neutral mediator to help broker dialogue over last year’s disputed elections.

Coltart told Alpha Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube on the platform In Conversation with Trevor that the two should park their tough demands if there was to be any dialogue.

“I think both leaders have to park that issue. In other words, Emmerson Mnangagwa mustn’t be insisting that he be recognised,” he said.

“Nelson Chamisa must say okay, I dispute that, but I am going to park this issue for the national interest so that we can get to the substantive issue because if both stand on their respective positions, it’s going to be difficult for dialogue to be pursued.”

Coltart said the new MDC leadership was committed to helping Zimbabwe solve its problems.

“So what the public needs to understand is that there is a consensus that we are committed to stabilising the country and to take the country through meaningful dialogue,” he said. “What we believe though is that the playing field is uneven at present.

We think — and I think justifiably — there are two dominant political parties in the country and two dominant political leaders, Nelson Chamisa and Emmerson Mnangagwa, and this is borne out of the election results.”

He said the dialogue must be primarily between the MDC and Zanu FP based on the outcome of last year’s elections.

“That’s not to say other players can’t have a seat at the table, but in reality they are not the powerful political players, they don’t deliver the massive constituencies,” he said.

“So the dialogue has to be primarily between those two parties and two leaders.

“But it cannot be a walk-down. Both of the protagonists need a neutral interlocutor who can ensure that there is fair play. A neutral referee or umpire.”

Former South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma were the mediators when Zanu PF and MDC agreed to form an inclusive government in 2009 following another disputed election.

Xinhua

16th August 2019

Traffic was thin in the Harare Central Business District as motorists and other members of the public remained cautious of planned demonstrations led by the opposition MDC.

Businesses opened while the police maintained a heavy presence in strategic areas from where they could easily deploy into the streets in case violence erupted.

The police also on Thursday night issued a prohibition order against the demonstrations and warned members of the public that they would be arrested if they participated.

Earlier during the day, police spokesperson Paul Nyati said investigations had shown that the demonstrations would not be peaceful and alleged that some people had transported some assault items into town and handed them over to homeless children living in the streets.

MDC treasurer-general David Coltart said they had approached the courts over the prohibition order.

“Our #MDC legal team is at the High Court for the hearing of our urgent application before Justice Musakwa. The team is waiting to get into chambers to argue that the police prohibition of today’s march is illegal and unconstitutional,” he twitted.

Reports from some residential areas also said many people opted not to report for work fearing possible violence.

Although calm prevailed in the morning, fears remained that the situation could deteriorate as the day progressed, with the MDC saying on Twitter that some of its members were geared up for the demonstrations.

The opposition wants to demonstrate against the deteriorating economy and other issues that they accuse the government of not handling properly.

ZimLive.com

16th August 2019

“This is profoundly shocking but not surprising. So much for the ‘new dispensation’”

Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, the outspoken Ntabazinduna traditional chief, faces jail time after he was convicted of malicious damage to property on Thursday.

Ndiweni, an outspoken critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime, was spending the night in a jail cell at Khami Prison after Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Muzambi remanded him and 23 others in custody to Friday for sentencing.

The magistrate’s decision to order the 24 detained strongly hinted that they all face jail time. The offence can be dealt with by way of a fine, but it can also attract a jail sentence of up to 25 years.

Ndiweni and the 23 villagers were accused of destroying a kraal and garden fence of a fellow villager, Fetti Mbele.

Mbele had been banished by a traditional court from Ndiweni’s area after his wife was caught romping with another man.

The chief’s incarceration came a day after he circulated a video calling on Zimbabweans to heed a call by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to participate in anti-government street protests – which he now might not witness.

David Coltart, a senior MDC leader and human rights lawyer, said: “I’m appalled to hear that Chief Ndiweni has been detained and is being held at Khami Prison this evening. This is profoundly shocking but not surprising. So much for the ‘new dispensation’.”

Zanu PF’s secretary for administration Obert Mpofu was one of the witnesses to testify during the trial after Chief Ndiweni accused him of instigating his arrest. The chief said Mpofu had sought ways to “fix” him after he filed a police report, accusing the then Home Affairs Minister in charge of the police of having stolen 200 cattle from his late father, Chief Khayisa Ndiweni.

Prosecutors said Mbele was ordered to leave the village with his wife, Nonkangelo Mpengesi, who was caught having sex with another villager.

When Mbele delayed his departure, the court heard, a group of villagers led by headman Kimpton Sibanda, 72, besieged his home on July 26 last year and began destroying his kraal and a garden fence.

“At around 5PM, Chief Ndiweni arrived and ordered the villagers to continue destroying Mr Mbele’s fence and kraal,” prosecutor Kudakwashe Jaravaza told the chief’s trial.

On Thursday night, the hashtag #FreeChiefNdiweni was trending as Zimbabweans demanded his release.

ZimMetro News

7th August 2019

By Lucky Mahorse

Former education minister David Coltart has blasted the International Cricket Council for suspending the Zimbabwe men and women’s teams from participating in the upcoming. T20 Qualifiers tournament.

Namibia will now take Zimbabwe’s place in Scotland. While Nigeria will replace Zimbabwe at Men’s T20Q in UAE.

Said Coltart

“The ICC really have lost the plot. How they can prejudice our professional cricketers like this is beyond me. I am beginning to think this is racist or rather neo-colonialist. It appears they simply don’t care about cricket in Africa. It is hard to imagine professional cricketers on the subcontinent, Europe or Australasia being dealt with like this.

What is even more disturbing is the deafening silence from cricket writers and other cricket professionals throughout the world. They are complicit by their silence. The ICC suspended Zimbabwe over a failure to keep the sport free from government interference.”

Newsday

6th August 2019

BY OBEY MANAYITI/EVERSON MUSHAVA

HE Nelson Chamisa-led MDC says it is too broke to fund its programmes without accessing finances under the Political Parties Finance Act hence was struggling to challenge the ruling Zanu PF party during elections.

The opposition party’s Dalumuzi Khumalo lost to Zanu PF’s Mbongeni Dube in the Lupane East by-election at the weekend, which it immediately blamed on its failure to “adequately carry out its programmes to entice voters” and campaign effectively.

Dube garnered 6 369 votes to Khumalo’s 4 506 votes in what was effectively a two-party tussle.

The party also lost two local government elections for Bubi ward 22 and Nkayi ward 23 to Zanu PF.

“The refusal by @MthuliNcube and government to release the $3,8 million allocated to @mdczimbabwe in the budget is meant to give an unfair advantage to Zanu PF in these elections. Zanu PF received their allocation, but the MDC has not received a penny since April 2018,” secretary-general Chalton Hwende said on his Twitter feed.

Yesterday, MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele said party leaders have assumed the responsibility to fund some programmes, while treasurer-general David Coltart and Hwende have been tasked to find other ways of raising money for the party.

“In the recent past years, there have been issues around financing the MDC and it has not been easy, but members have been willing to support the programmes because they love Zimbabwe,” Molokele said.

“We have a new leadership, the secretary-general and treasurer-general and they have all been given the task to come up with new ways to resource mobilise and to make sure that the party returns to (a sound) financial footing.

“This is not something that will happen overnight, it is an ongoing process and in the meantime, yes, we need the money that we are entitled to under the Political Parties Finances Act and as far as I know, we haven’t received the money. We are now looking at other sources, including that our membership system is properly administered to such an extent that we will get money from subscriptions.”

Last year, the opposition turned to its supporters to raise money to fund its campaign for the July 2018 general elections and for Chamisa’s Constitutional Court challenge of the poll results.

According to the Political Parties (Finance) Act, the State is obliged to provide funding to any party that gets at least 5% of the vote in a general election. Without the money, Molokele said for now the party would continue to depend on the goodwill of its members and leaders.

This, he said, gave Zanu PF an unfair advantage because it coaxes parastatals to fund its activities, while denying the MDC the funds due to it.

The party also had an unlimited access to State resources and gave an example of the case in which Zanu PF political commissar Victor Matemadanda requested medicines from the Health ministry specifically for Lupane health centres to help the party with its campaign during the run-up to the recent Lupane East by-elections.

“The bigger picture is that it is really a one-sided story if you look at the financial capacity of the MDC and Zanu PF. Zanu PF does not even need to come up with a budget for by-election campaign. They just go to parastatals and harness them,” he said.

Pindula News

4th August 2019

Reports indicate that the ruling ZANU PF party is set to retain the Lupane East National Assembly seat following a by-election held on Saturday.

With votes from 61 out 62 polling stations having been counted, unconfirmed reports suggest that ZANU PF has polled 6 038 while the opposition MDC has garnered 4 274 votes.

MDC treasurer, David Coltart has been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have voted for the opposition. Writing on Twitter, Coltart said:

“My take on Lupane East: enough victims of Gukurahundi were intimidated to vote for the architects and executors of Gukurahundi to deliver “victory” for the party which has destroyed their lives.

Quite frankly I am amazed at the number of brave people who voted for the MDC in a drought year knowing that that could condemn them and their children to starvation.

And to anticipate the trolls – if anyone seriously argues that this result is a reflection of the genuine sentiment of the people of Lupane East then they strangers to the truth and don’t understand the unique pressures facing rural voters.

One final point – the will of the people will never be respected until ZEC is independent. In this by-election, it just ignored the flagrant use of State recourses – medicines – to promote ZANU-PF. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.”

Sport 24

19th July 2019

Zimbabwe sports minister Kirsty Coventry on Friday denied that the government had been interfering in the running of the country’s cricket.

Coventry, a former Olympic swimming champion, said in a tweet she was “devastated” by the effect on players of a decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Zimbabwe Cricket because of alleged political interference.

Thursday’s ICC action followed the suspension by Zimbabwe’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) of the Zimbabwe Cricket board elected in June. The SRC appointed an interim committee.

The ICC demanded that the elected board be reinstated within three months.

Coventry said in her tweet that although the SRC was appointed by the sports minister, “SRC is not government – they are a public body.”

She said in another tweet: “There is need for good governance at ZC for the international success we all want to see.”

Coventry added that she would meet the country’s men’s and women’s captains on Friday. The ICC suspension means that Zimbabwean teams will be unable to play scheduled international matches in ICC events.

Former Zimbabwe player Henry Olonga, the first black cricketer to represent the country in 1995, tweeted support for Coventry and the disbanding of the previous board.

“Sorry Kirsty but they ain’t listening. The rest of us see it for what it is,” tweeted Olonga, who left the country after he and former captain Andy Flower protested against former president Robert Mugabe’s government during the 2003 World Cup.

“A bunch of incompetent people were running a sport into the ground. This incompetence was known by them for five years. Why didn’t the ICC take strong action then? Curious.”

Former sports minister David Coltart said the ICC had ignored the wishes of Zimbabwean players.

“Whilst I understand ICC’s desire to keep political interference out of cricket the irony of this decision is that they have reinstated the politicians responsible for destroying the game in Zimbabwe,” he tweeted.

“They should have ordered and organised fresh elections for a new board.

“There will be no introspection from the corrupt and incompetent board that the ICC wants reinstated. We need a fresh start with no political interference. Let those who love and know the game run it.”

Tony Irish, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA), said in Cape Town that the plight of Zimbabwe’s cricketers was a matter of concern for players around the world.

“Zimbabwe does not have a players’ association but we care quite deeply about the players,” said Irish in a preliminary comment ahead of a statement which he said FICA would issue later on Friday.

All-rounder Sikandar Raza, who was on the recently concluded tour of Netherlands and Ireland in which Zimbabwe won just one out of 11 matches, expressed dismay at the ICC’s decision.

“How one decision has made so many people unemployed… how one decision has ended so many careers. Certainly not how I wanted to say goodbye to international cricket.”

Zimbabwe were made full members of the ICC and granted Test status in 1992. They failed to qualify for the 2019 World Cup.

Kirsty Coventry✔@KirstyCoventry

I am devastated that the @ICC ruling has affected our @ZimCricketv Players.

There is need for good governance at ZC for the international success we all want to see. Any decisions towards that should never affect the Players.37011:58 AM – Jul 19, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy196 people are talking about this

Kirsty Coventry✔@KirstyCoventry Â· Jul 19, 2019

I am devastated that the @ICC ruling has affected our @ZimCricketv Players.

There is need for good governance at ZC for the international success we all want to see. Any decisions towards that should never affect the Players.

Kirsty Coventry✔@KirstyCoventry

Minister of Sport elects SRC board (ICC do not see this as Gvt interference). SRC is not Government – they are a Public Body.12211:58 AM – Jul 19, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy73 people are talking about this

Henry Olonga@henryolonga Â· Jul 19, 2019

Colin De Grandhomme, Gary Balance, Tom Curran, Sam Curran, David Pocock,Nils Mordt, Bobby Skinstad, Tonderai Chavhanga, Brian Mujati, Tendai Mtawarira, David Denton, Takudzwa Ngwenya, Graeme Hick, Dereck Chisora. Just a few Zimbos done well abroad. Why don’t we hold on to them

Henry Olonga@henryolonga

This question is tied into a heated debate in another thread about @KirstyCoventry who is the minister of sport in Zimbabwe.I pose the question to highlight that the mass exodus of players has nothing to do with the lack of talent. More that we let them down by bad administration6211:50 AM – Jul 19, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy17 people are talking about this

Bulawayo News 24

17th July 2019

Former Education Minister David Coltart has alerted the international community to death threats against leaders of trade union movements.

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Peter Mutasa and Secretary General Japhet Moyo received death threats over plans to hold demonstrations on 22 July.

The two top officials received letters accompanied by live bullets threatening to kill them and their families if they went ahead with their plans.

Coltart who is the MDC  Treasurer General described the threats as shocking and unacceptable.

He called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and embassies of the United Kingdom, Sweden, United Kingdom.

“Please note what is being threatened against trade union leaders in Zimbabwe. We expect union leaders, past and present, the world over to condemn this,” said Coltart.

ZCTU said in a statement, “This is the first time, for all we know, in our history that bullets are delivered at the homes of trade union leaders. This is the new dispensation! We demand the safety of Peter Mutasa and Japhet Moyo.”