COSATU announces series of protest actions

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) on Thursday announced a series of protest actions against the Zimbabwean government, including a blockade of border posts. This would be launched under the umbrella of the Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC). Emerging from a meeting this week of the central executive committee, the federation's second highest decision-making body, COSATU also announced its decision to picket the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria "in the next few weeks". COSATU general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi announced that SATUCC would be asked to organise pickets of all the Zimbabwean embassies in the region. Alongside the protest action, Vavi said, COSATU would relaunch a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe, as the previous one, sent in October, had been expelled. "We will write to [the ruling] ZANU-PF, the Zimbabwean government and the other organisations we had intended to meet, explaining the reasons for the mission - to help the people of Zimbabwe establish democracy - and asking for their help in getting it rearranged," Vavi said. The October mission ended abruptly when the COSATU delegation was expelled after defying a Zimbabwe government order against their visit. The trade unions drew criticism from the South African government, which has been pursuing a policy of "quiet diplomacy" with its neighbour. Vavi said COSATU had "reaffirmed" a decision to send a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe, "without seeking permission from any government, including the one we elected." He agreed that the South African government's diplomatic intervention was the right approach for a state, "but whether it is working is another thing." COSATU's first mission had "exposed the [Zimbabwean] regime's paranoia and its abuse of basic human rights, including fundamental basic rights of workers," he said. While holding demonstrations, Vavi said, the federation intended to hold talks with the ZANU-PF to initiate dialogue between all the concerned parties in Zimbabwe. "Our history has shown that talks in boardrooms produce results if we demonstrate in the streets," he explained. IRIN was unable to get comment from the Zimbabwean authorities. The South African department of foreign affairs said it "had no comments at this stage."