COSATU's Strong Words on Zimbabwe

The South African Independent Online reports a tough line from the powerful COSATU trade union against Zimbabwe:


"In a strongly-worded statement, Cosatu also said on Tuesday that it would mobilise the world's workers to isolate Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, whom it accused of ruling illegally.

"The federation is appalled at the levels of violence and intimidation being inflicted on the people of Zimbabwe by the illegitimate Mugabe regime..." Cosatu said in a statement.

The two-million-strong labour grouping said it fully sympathised with the decision of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to pull out of Friday's presidential run-off.

"The June 27 presidential election is not an election, but a declaration of war against the people of Zimbabwe by the ruling party," Cosatu added.

The trade union federation said it called on workers across the world to isolate Mugabe.

"We call on all our unions and those everywhere else in the world to make sure that they never, ever serve Mugabe anywhere, including at airports, restaurants, shops. Further, we call on all workers and citizens of the world never to allow Mugabe to set foot in their countries.""

The same article reports continued violence against MDC supporters and also lawyers and judges. In Bindura, a lawyer defending MDC supporters has been abducted:

""Lawyer Ernest Jena was abducted from his office in Bindura by suspected Zanu-PF members this morning and his whereabouts are still unknown," said organisation director Irene Petras.

"He was due to make a bail application for MDC members detained in Bindura. Some men came to his office saying they were looking for his assistant, before they bundled Jena into a green Datsun Pulsar.""


Also in Bindura, the article claims that a magistrate was beaten as he walked to the grocery store for having agreed to allow bail for arrested MDC supporters there. Read entire story.