The arrest of the three activists in Bulawayo on Thursday after they attended a Unity Day memorial to remember the victims of the Gukurahundi massacres has been widely condemned by civil society organisations who called for their immediate release.
Thamsanqa Ncube, Samkeliso Tshuma and Melusi Nyathi were charged with contravening Section 37 (1)(a) (ii) of the criminal act: “Participating in gathering with intent to promote public violence, breaches of the peace or bigotry.”
They are set to appear in court on Friday.
In a statement, Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Flavia Mwangovya, said their arrest “marks the latest attempt by the authorities to silence those who want to keep victims’ memories alive.”
“It is disgraceful that Thamsanqa Ncube, Melusi Nyathi and Samkeliso Tshuma were arrested on Unity Day as they called for national peace and sought to honour the victims of the Gukurahundi massacres,” said Mwangovya.
Ncube is the Deputy Chairperson of Ibhetshu Likazulu. At the same time, Nyathi is a founding member of the same NGO that seeks justice for victims of genocide and related human rights abuses, and Tshuma is the founder and director of The Girls Table, an NGO that advocates for the rights of women and girls in Zimbabwe.
Mwangovya said the three activists “have not committed a single crime — they should be immediately and unconditionally released.”
The authorities prevaricated over declaring their charges, which offers a clear indication that they were arrested arbitrarily and sends a chilling message to other activists in the country, she added.
The Matabeleland Forum, a grouping of civic society organisations in the region, said their arrest militates against the government’s gestures to acknowledge and address the Gukurahundi massacres.
“We condemn the blatant and flagrant violation of freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate which are embedded in the constitution,” the Forum said.
The forum calls for the three to be immediately released and for citizens to be allowed to remember and commemorate the loss of their loved ones in whatever peaceful manner they want to engage in.
Any process which purports to address Gukurahundi whilst muzzling the voices of civic groups and activists is not genuine and negates the principles of peace and reconciliation.”
December 22 marks Unity Day in Zimbabwe, which has been observed since 1987 when PF-ZAPU and ZANU-PF, two major political parties, signed the Unity Accord.
The day also marked the end of the Gukurahundi massacres which claimed 20 000 lives in Matabeleland and the Midlands.
