BRIEF ON THE MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE’S DEFIANCE CAMPAIGN
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 The government has been aware for quite sometime that the MDC and its sister formations in Zimbabwe have been planning to carryout a number of actions aimed at destabilizing the government of Zimbabwe. This plan, which is backed by the MDC’s external handlers, seeks to paralyse the country both politically and economically with the intention of achieving illegal regime change. The opposition has been failing to make headway politically as demonstrated by their loss in recent by-elections in Chiredzi and in the Rural District Council elections, where the MDC performed dismally. Since the main opposition party split into two factions, they have ceased to be effective on the ground. In their desperation, the MDC factions have resorted to acts of violence and lawlessness to please their western backers. To show that the opposition’s designs are linked with certain external interests, the country has been suffering a barrage of reports in the international media portraying Zimbabwe as a country on the verge of imploding and inciting the security forces to turn against the government. Because of their naivety, the opposition believed this propaganda and decided to test the waters for themselves but found the security forces resolute in the execution of their constitutional duty to maintain law and order and protect life and property. The MDC has since its inception exhibited a culture of violence. This violence has not only been directed at the government and the ruling party, but internally within the MDC itself as demonstrated by the violent attack on MDC MP for Harare Trudy Stevenson, who was assaulted by MDC youths in 2006.
1.2 The Constitution of Zimbabwe guarantees freedom of assembly, association, life, liberty, security of the person and protection of the law. When the opposition and their external handlers escalated their activities aimed at unconstitutional removal of the government, the Parliament of Zimbabwe passed the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) in 2002 to deal with acts of lawlessness, which were threatening the security of the state. The opposition participated vigorously in the debates on POSA and made over two hundred amendments before the Act was passed. This piece of legislation is not unique to Zimbabwe. Other countries have similar legislation to regulate and control issues of maintenance of law and order such as public gatherings, processions, and demonstrations e.g the Public Order Act (1986) in the United Kingdom. In terms of the law, any person wishing to hold a public meeting or demonstration is required to give the police four days prior notification. The police will in turn make appropriate arrangements to safeguard public order. This is consistent with Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which permits “restrictions in the interest of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.” The MDC and their other formations have decided that they will not abide by the provisions of the law when it comes to the holding of public meetings.
2. THE MDC’S DEFIANCE CAMPAIGN
2.1 Having decided that they were not subject to the laws of the country and in view of their dwindling public support, the MDC has since 2006 been planning acts of violence and civil disobedience. In preparation for this campaign of violence, the MDC set up what they call Democratic Resistance Committees (DRCs). The DRCs, which are comprised mainly of unemployed youths, exist in every residential area in the main urban centres of Zimbabwe. Their objective is to promote violent street protests with the intention to make the country ungovernable.
2.2 The leader of the pro-Senate faction of the MDC, Professor Arthur Mutambara set the ball rolling at a press conference with the international media early this year when he declared that his party would no longer respect the rule of law but would immediately embark on a defiance campaign. As if not to be outdone, the leader of the other MDC faction, Morgan Tsvangirayi also told the international media in South Africa that his party would also embark on a defiance campaign. After these pronouncements by the leaders of the MDC, there followed a series of events, which clearly show that there was a well-orchestrated and deliberate build-up to the orgy of violence that took place on 11 March 2007. The MDC has a history of orchestrating acts of violence to coincide with major international conferences in order to tarnish the image of the government of Zimbabwe. In this instance, the target was the Human Rights Council, which began its meetings in Geneva on 12 March 2007.
l On 28 January 2007, Morgan Tsvangirayi addressing 600 people at a properly authorised rally in Glen View in Harare, urged his supporters to brace for mass action against the government in 2007, saying that mass action was aimed at assisting his party to assume power.
l On 31 January 2007, the National Constitutional Assembly, which corroborates with the MDC, convened an authorised meeting at City Hall, Bulawayo. The NCA’s leader, Lovemore Madhuku, who addressed the meeting, said that he would go around the country mobilising people to fight until Zimbabwe is ungovernable for ZANU (PF) to submit to the drafting of a new Constitution.
l On 3 February 2007, the MDC MP for Glen View addressing an authorised rally of about 600 people at Matongo Shopping Centre in Mabvuku, Harare called for mass action.
l On 4 February 2007, the MDC held an authorised rally attended by 700 people in Mufakose, which was addressed by top leaders of the MDC. The main message repeated by all the speakers was that 2007 will be the year to topple President Mugabe from power, with youth leading the action.
l On 6 February 2007, the NCA held an authorised rally at Mabutweni Community Hall in Bulawayo, which was addressed by the NCA Southern Region Organising Secretary Felix Mafa, who said the easiest way to press for a new Constitution was to block commuter omnibuses and delivery vehicles from operating.
l On 11 February 2007 the MDC held a properly cleared rally in Kambuzuma. However, the rally degenerated into an orgy of violence when a group of about 150 MDC youths went and looted goods from a shop owned by a ZANU (PF) candidate who lost to the MDC in the 2005 Parliamentary Elections.
l In a series of other meetings held across the country by the MDC from the beginning of February the political message by the opposition shifted to the ongoing debate within the ruling ZANU (PF) party on whether the harmonised Presidential/Parliamentary Elections would be held in 2008 or 2010. Alleging that the President wanted to unconstitutionally extend his rule to 2010，the MDC leaders said they were mobilising their own supporters to attend a political rally on 18 February 2007 in Harare to launch their own Presidential campaign for 2008. Again, the aspect of violence as an instrument to achieve power featured prominently. Faced with the prospect of a violent rally on 18 February in the suburb of Highfield in Harare police invoked the provisions of POSA to defer the rally. This did not go down well with the MDC who then appealed to the courts and the responsible Minister. This incident shows the MDC’s selective use of the law.
l As if to confirm the police’s fears, an orgy of violence was unleashed by MDC supporters after failing to attend their rally. Prior to this, on 16 February a group of about 100 MDC supporters marched through the city centre in Harare. In the process, they looted shops, attacked a police post on First Street and assaulted four police officers, one of whom was stabbed with a knife. About the same time on 15 February the MDC distributed fliers in Bulawayo, with messages such as “We Choose to Defy and Confront, Defiance Campaign: From Dictatorship to Democracy.” On 17 February the MDC pro-Senate President Arthur Mutambara held what he called “The Defiance Campaign Launch in Bulawayo.” The Mutambara launch was also followed by an orgy of violence and a number of people were arrested in connection with the violence.
l During the violence on 18 February, several shops and flee markets were looted and property stolen and a Barclays Bank automated teller machine was destroyed. Other crimes committed on the day included the burning and stoning of 29 private vehicles, destruction of 9 commuter omnibuses and an inner-city bus and, kidnappings/abductions. Roads were also barricaded.
l As a consequence of the violence of 18 February and to maintain law and order the police in accordance with the provisions of the law, suspended the holding of political rallies in certain parts of Harare for periods between one to three months.
l The period from the violence on 18 February was very tense, with the MDC inviting people to another MDC Defiance Campaign on 11 March 2007, where people were invited to hear Tsvangirayi and Mutambara, the presidents of the two MDC factions. Because political rallies had been suspended by the police, the MDC, conniving with its other sister formations, decided to characterise the Defiance Campaign as a prayer meeting under the auspices of the Save Zimbabwe Campaign of which the MDC is the most dominant organisation. The fliers that had been distributed about the meeting were all MDC fliers and clearly showed that this was to be a politically rally. There was even a banner at the MDC headquarters at Harvest House in Harare calling people to the rally. All the speakers listed on the fliers were MDC leaders; none of the speakers was a recognised member of the clergy. The police warned the MDC and their sister formations as well as the general public through the press not to go ahead with the rally since rallies had been suspended in terms of the law. The MDC leaders ignored the warnings and visited the rally area on 11 March to psyche their supporters for the action ahead. In anticipation of violence, the police had deployed in the area to maintain law and order. On the actual day, 11 March, a group of over 200 MDC youths, using children as shields, attacked a police checkpoint manned by 25 police officers. The attackers used stones, catapaults, petrol bombs and tear smoke, whose origins are not yet known. Because of the presence of children the police used maximum restraint and did not react but withdrew. However, two of their members were captured and severely assaulted by the MDC thugs. The same gang went to Zindoga Shopping Centre in Waterfalls, Harare, where they assaulted innocent members of the public, stole meat and partially burnt an army truck. They also stopped a bus carrying mourners, assaulted the occupants and stole mobile phones and cash before breaking all the windows on the bus.
l In another incident at Gazaland Shopping Centre in Highfield, Harare, a group of MDC youths attacked a police checkpoint. The police details manning the checkpoint were overwhelmed and some of their members severely assaulted. Armed reinforcements were sent to rescue the police detail that was under attack. Police fired 18 warning shots but the MDC youths continued their attack, forcing the police to shoot the ringleader who died on the spot.
l Meanwhile, some of the MDC leaders, including Arthur Mutambara, had been arrested earlier for inciting and instigating violence.
l Morgan Tsvangirayi, who was seen driving around Highfield suburb instigating his supporters to attend the illegal rally, arrived at Machipisa Police Station in Highfield and was stopped at the police station main gate. He tried to force his way past the main gate into the police station using force. In the meantime, his supporters had gathered and were chanting slogans. Tsvangirayi was subsequently arrested. At this time, the possibility of the station being overrun by the rowdy crowd, which had gathered, was fast becoming a reality and it was necessary that the police quickly subdue Tsvangirayi and his supporters. He was not assaulted while in police custody.
l The chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), Lovemore Madhuku also arrived at the same police station and tried to force his way into the police station, while at the same time being abusive. The police tried to arrest him in terms of the law for being abusive. He was injured while resisting arrest.
l In the meantime, a genuine prayer meeting was held on the same day at the Salvation Army in Dzivaresekwa in Harare, which was attended by genuine churchgoers. All the clergy were at that meeting.
2.3 The activities leading to the events of 11 March clearly show that the MDC and its partners were not exercising their right to peaceful assembly as provided for in the Constitution but were bent on creating mayhem in order to further their agenda of illegal regime change. The deliberate and unprovoked attacks on the police were an attack on law and order itself. The police have got a Constitutional duty to maintain law and order and will continue to do that without fear or favour.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
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