Zimbabwean women beaten in the streets on International Women’s Day
Please visit the WOZA website and tell them via their comments section how incredible they are, and let them know that you are watching and noting the injustices being perpetrated against them.
On International Women’s Day, over 1 000 women took to the streets in Bulawayo and marched . This is what happened to them:
As the procession neared the Chronicle offices, the dispersing point, a police officer known to WOZA, approached Jenni Williams and asked her to take the protest off the road, to which Williams indicated she would do so at the next intersection, Jason Moyo Street. Before they could reach there, a loud noise that could have been a shot or tear gas was heard, alarming the peaceful activists. Riot police officers then violently set upon the demonstrators, severely beating the two young activists holding the rear banner. They then moved through the procession beating people as they fled.
The women human rights defenders, feeling provoked by the violence they had seen, regrouped and began a second protest before being violently dispersed for the second time. Police then adopted the strategy of moving amongst groups and saying out the ‘woza moya’ (come holy spirit) slogan and assaulting anyone who sang out the reply ‘woza’!
A member from Pumula, Eva Tanyanyiwa, was beaten to the ground by two police officers and lay prostrate before being dragged up and pulled towards the police vehicle where she fainted. When Jenni Williams went to implore the officer to leave the woman alone as she was seriously injured, they arrested her as well. Magodonga Mahlangu then joined the two in solidarity. The trio were driven to Bulawayo Central Police Station being threatened by police officers all the way. On arrival at the police station, the three women had their details taken before being released after 30 minutes by a police officer who said they should go and get Eva treated as she had ‘fallen in the road’.One of the WOZA members injured on International Women’s Day
Eva has serious bruising on her upper arm and lower body. Another women had to have stitches to her neck as she was pushed by a police officer into a stationary vehicle whilst another was pushed into a pole by a police officer, receiving a deep cut across her forehead. Other injuries included a woman who developed a haematoma just above her kidneys as a result of being beaten and many others with deep tissue bruising from being beaten with baton sticks.
Read the full post here. Don’t forget to leave words of praise, support and encouragment.
March 11th, 2008 02:59
I grew up in Bulawayo
I am horrified to read of this outrage and simultaneously deeply proud of the women for taking to the streets and having their voices be heard internationally.
I will forward this article to all the women I know in Eugene Oregon and in the Woman in Transition program that I teach at at the local community college.
Let me know how I can support you from afar.
March 16th, 2008 10:48
Thanks for continuing to share these stories with those of us who have such little access to what is happening in Zimbabwe. Having spent some time in Zimbabwe years ago I try to read this blog at least once a month to get your mix of news, flash infos and analysis of how the crisis in Zimbabwe is affecting the average women and men of Zimbabwe - it’s a truly invaluable and brave initiative in the midst of a worryingly detereorating security context. Thank you WOZA, thank you Hope and thank you Sokwanele for being there and giving others a voice.