Government must come clean on lockdown measures

17 June 2020

PRESS RELEASE

RE: Government must come clean on lockdown measures

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.

The way people are made to wait at various checkpoints and returned home is dehumanizing of the highest order. Why should it take workers a cumulative six hours to go to work and return home?  The country has no fuel and getting transport has become a nightmare. In any case,  salaries have become inadequate thereby putting more stress on workers.

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.

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.
 
The ZCTU would want to know from the state if the country has suspended the Constitution and has resorted to rule by decrees issued without due regard to people's freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution.

The ZCTU urges and advise workers to stay home until it is safe to travel.

Japhet Moyo
SECRETARY GENERAL