Farai Dziva|Newly appointed MDC Secretary for Welfare and Public Service Maureen Kademaunga has challenged Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to stop harassing innocent civilians and opposition political leaders.

See her statement below : Hon Settlement Chikwinya and Hon Mukapiko appear before courts to answer to trumped up charges as the vicious cycle of injustice continues.

The two are part of a large contingent of elected MDC officials, activists and ordinary citizens who have faced arbitrary arrests for speaking out since the election of July 2018.

Judicial harrasment of dissenting voices comes at a cost to the victim who in most cases does not have access to a remedy when their rights have been violated, or cannot proactively claim their rights and entitlements resulting in the entrenchment of their exclusion, powerlessness and deprivation. In keeping with our pro-poor niche and ideological inclination towards freedom, justice and solidarity as the MDC, we acknowledge that political victimisation is a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing a chronic lack of choices, security and power, all building on each other in a feedback loop of disadvantage.

We therefore commit to building a comprehensive welfare plan to cater for our victimised members while we continue to push for broader freedoms.

We urge the government to respect people’s fundamental rights, end judicial harrasment and arbitrary arrests of political leaders and citizen voices.

The ZANU PF government must envisage effective access to justice; not just as a right but also as a tool for reducing poverty and inequality and fostering social inclusion.

In Service of Humanity,

Maureen Kademaunga
Secretary for Public Service and Social Welfare
MDC