CCC Demands Release Of Obert Masaraure
19 June 2022
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Tinashe Sambiri|CCC Namibia has pointed out that the persecution of ARTUZ leader Obert Masaraure is a deliberate ploy by Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to silence suffering teachers.

In a statement, CCC Namibia called for the immediate release of Masaraure:

Citizens Coalition For Change Namibia demands the freedom of ARTUZ President Obert Masaraure.

17 June 2022

Citizens Coalition For Change Namibia demands justice to the victim of persecution by prosecution President Obert Masaraure who is illegally imprisoned on trumped up weird murder charges.

We are quite aware that the unconstitutional arrest of labour rights and human rights defender Obert Masaraure is an attempt by the clueless regime to silence vibrant critics of ZANUPF ahead of 2023 harmonised elections.

Citizens in Namibia urge all civil servants especially in the teaching fraternity to unite and amplify their revolutionary voices against slave wages.

They preferred a wild murder charge on an innocent man, an organic labour unionist who speaks on behalf of the poverty-stricken and malnourished masses in the education sector. Change champions are cognisant of the fact that when our late comrade Roy Issa fell from the 7th floor at Jameson Hotel in 2016, President Obert Masaraure was at home with his family. He never witnessed the sad incident and he was never involved in the tragedy in question.

Moreover, it is also imperative to condemn the ruthless treatment of the labour unionist at Harare Central Police Station.

We saw heavy police presence denying him access to the family members and Artuz comrades to enter the police station who had come in solidarity with Obert Masaraure. This must be resisted with equal measure, the government should learn to consider the genuine salary grievances from the suffering teachers.

It is a public secret that a family of six now need Zimbabwe dollar $133 171 to survive when the teachers are earning a meagre salary ranging from $20 000 to $30 000. These unsalted peanuts are unimaginable!

Our human rights defender was denied his right to food which is quite perturbing in a purported independent and democratic country. We demand justice to Obert Masaraure who is fighting for a living wage.

This attempt to wrongfully jail the labour unionist should not be allowed, we know that his illegal arrest is an attempt to put teachers on mute. Educators are simply demanding the pre-October 2018 living wage of US$540, is it a crime to demand restoration? Is it a unconstitutional to be incapacitated? Teachers must peacefully rise up in solidarity with their radical leadership. Obert Masaraure is not a murderer, his crime is his bravery to confront the suicidal policies in the education sector. He is in jail because he recently won the Frontline Human Rights Defenders Award.

Furthermore, ZANUPF’S attempt to silence NGOs and labour unions in Zimbabwe must face stiff resistance from the conscious citizenry.

Citizens should unite against gross misgovernance and unprecedented corruption. Teachers and the entire civil service need the pragmatic leadership of President Obert Masaraure inorder to win the struggle for a living wage. They must peacefully demand the immediate release of their astute leadership. Citizens Coalition For Change Namibia joins the rest of the educators and human rights defenders in demanding justice to the jailed Artuz President Obert Masaraure, CCC Vice Chairperson Hon Job Saro Wiwa Sikhala, Hon Godfrey Sithole and all prisoners of conscience.

Solidarity is a core value in social democracy. We should all pent up our outrage demanding the immediate release of human rights defenders.

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Citizens Coalition For Change Namibia
Rundu Branch Interim Spokesperson
Robson Ruhanya