ARTUZ President’s place of residence raided by state security agents

Armed men broke into ARTUZ President Cde Obert Masaraure’s house today at 01:00 hrs on 17 July, 2020. They broke the doors, forced themselves in, kidnapped his wife for about a kilometre and detained her in the car for almost an hour threatening her with death for failing to reveal Cde Obert Masaraure’s whereabouts. They were driving a silver Fortuner without plates and a double cab with covered plates.

This has come barely 4 days after another gang of armed men, who introduced themselves as secret state security agents, raided Cde Masaraure’s uncle’s place of residence in Kuwadzana and abducted Masaraure’s cousin demanding the whereabouts of our union leader.

We are highly saddened by this vulturous act by alleged state security agents who try to kill Cde Masaraure’s vision of a Zimbabwe where labour justice and inclusive access to education is realised.

We have long urged the government of Zimbabwe to investigate these abductions and harassment of our union leader and his family, but nothing tangible has been done. It is the responsibility of the state to protect its citizens, but the state has become a predator to young visionary union leaders. 

We are now living in fear as trade unionists. We urge the President of Zimbabwe, E D Mnangagwa, to heed our call for a Zimbabwe where our rights to protection, fair wage, freedom of speech and after speech are guaranteed. This thuggish behaviour of state security agents is destroying the international relations of our country, as well as killing the future of many Zimbabweans.

President Mnangagwa must think deeply, and order his men to respect other citizens Just imagine a woman being kidnapped and harassed at night by a gang of armed men who claim to represent your office, just because her husband is a union leader who is demanding better salaries for teachers. This is sad.

Source: Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ)

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