The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has urged government to come clean on the recent upsurge in harassment of citizens by security forces while enforcing lockdown measures.
In a statement yesterday, ZCTU Secretary General Japhet Moyo said they were concerned that workers were being subjected to harassment by security forces.
“For the past few days, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions(ZCTU) has noted with concern the harassment of workers and other citizens on their way to work by members of the security forces in the name of stopping the spread of COVID-19 despite having genuine papers allowing them to go to work.
“We have seen workers being made to walk long distances after being forced to disembark from lawful public and private transport for no apparent reason. People are just told that noone is allowed to go into town. What makes it worse is that the government is not communicating anything at all resulting in citizens being inconvenienced,” said Moyo.
The labour body further condemned the cording of cities by soldiers and police forcing workers to walk long distances back home while also bemoaning lack of coordination among the security forces who make varying demands at checkpoints.
“The way people are made to wait at various checkpoints and returned home is dehumanizing of the highest order.
“It is either there is no standard checklist of what is needed at the numerous checkpoints and security forces work on their whims or this is turning to be deliberate intimidation of citizens,” added Moyo.
There is no guarantee of workers’ safety to and from the workplace as the state without notice or justification just cordons off cities and humiliate the traveling workers, with some having to endure long distances walking back home.
ZCTU demanded to know if the country has suspended the Constitution by resorting to rule by decree.
