afrol News, 6 December - Right activists would not allow Zimbabwe to go free while it continues to violate the rights of its citizens. They keep pilling pressures on the country's government.

Having completed a fact finding mission to Zimbabwe, representatives from seven African countries under the aegis of an international NGO - Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation - the mission was appalled with serious crackdown on freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

The team dialogued with government officials, churches, trade unions, students, local NGOs and the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) during their brief tour of Zimbabwe.

Civicus mission also visited victims of Operation Murambatsvina - a clean up exercise that displaced rendered thousands of Zimbabweans homeless. Instead they have been left to languish in the outskirts of Harare without proper shelter, food or access to clean water.

The mission urged the Zimbabwean government to fulfil its promise to allocate housing to the victims of Operation Murambatsvina.

The group renewed called on states and civil societies in Africa to renew pressure on Zimbabwe for its failure to comport itself within the confines of democracy by respecting the rights of its citizens.

Civicus, which aims to strengthen civil societies around the world, has membership in over 100 countries.

"We are concerned, shocked and alarmed at the impact of repressive laws and at the severe human rights abuses by the state machinery that have resulted in deepening poverty, torture and rape, especially amongst women and children," read a report written by the group.

"Despite the frequent human rights abuses by the government of Zimbabwe on its people, there has been insignificant intervention from governments and civil society in the region and beyond.”

In the words of Dr Don Mattera, a South African author and activist who is also part of the mission, Africans have a responsibility to speak out against the suffering of their brothers.

Another member, Luckson Chipare, recommended strong dialogue as part of solutions to the Zimbabwean problem. He said there is high intolerance of opposing views, even among the civil society.

"We found that people are generally intolerant of opposing views to their own, and this is something that was of major concern to us. That people are really not engaging each other or talking to each other… even among the civic society and we found it disturbing," he told 'Newsreel'.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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