Roy Bennett

On May 26 two of South Africa's foremost constitutional lawyers will appear in Zimbabwe's Supreme Court to mount the most serious legal challenge yet to the continued incarceration of the country's celebrated prisoner of conscience, Roy Bennett. Due to appear before Zimbabwe's highest court in Harare on Bennett's behalf are Advocates Chaskalson SC and Gauntlett SC.

Roy Bennett was elected Member of Parliament for Chimanimani constituency in the 2000 Parliamentary elections. He is a leading member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party who enjoys a huge popularity among his rural, almost entirely black, constituents. Fluent in the vernacular he was, until his forcible ejection from his farm in the eastern highlands, a successful coffee farmer, and respected as a good employer who had the interests of his employees very much at heart. Prior to the year 2000 he had been a staunch supporter of ZANU PF but, in response to the increasing levels of corruption and nepotism in the ruling party, he threw his weight behind the fledging opposition movement. Despite receiving death threats from senior ZANU PF politicians, a police commander and the local CIO boss, Bennett stood for the MDC and won by a huge margin.

Sokwanele has just received word that some women from a local activist group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), were arrested at their homes earlier today.

The numbers arrested are so far unconfirmed.

Today, 8 March, is International Women's Day - the UN theme for International Women’s Day this year is "Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future".

WOZA were planning to march in solidarity with women all around the world. The arrest of the women at their homes means that the Zimbabwean police effectively stopped the march before it started.

This event once again highlights the fact that there is no freedom of expression or association in Zimbabwe today.

The following articles, available from our website (www.sokwanele.com), cover some of WOZA's activities in the past. If you would like to receive copies of these by email, please request them by emailing us.

Yesterday the MDC Mayor was visited at his home after lunch. He traveled to Central Poice Station where he was detained at 2.50pm by officers of the Law and Order Section Messrs Mlotshwa and Sibanda. He was taken to Central Police Station, then moved to the CID offices at Cabs buildings and finally returned to Central.

Initially Ncube was pressurised to make a statement through the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and the Government run press to the effect that he urges all workers to report to work. The Mayor refused to make any such statement.

Mayor Ndabeni Ncube was then coerced into writing a police dictated statement that at the request of the police he would make an effort to open the Bulawayo City Council revenue hall for the week.