CLASS STRUGGLES IN AFRICA
Mass revolt in Zimbabwe
Mass action has shaken the ruling class headed by Robert Mugabe.
The dust has just settled on the general strike of 9 December 1997,
called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). The strike
paralysed the country and was the most successful since Independence
in 1980. The workers were protesting against a special 5% levy on
wages and against massive rises in fuel prices and sales tax.
Police attacked the big workers rally in Harare, firing teargas
grenades from moving vehicles at the protestors. Demonstrators tried
to hold back the riot police with barricades of rubbish bins, wood,
and road signs ripped from pavements.
Two days later, seven "unidentified men" beat Morgan
Tsvangirai, general secretary of the ZCTU, unconscious in his office.
He was rushed to hospital. Nonetheless, the Mugabe regime has now
decided to abandon the special levy and tax and fuel increases.
THE FIGHTERS
The background to the strike lies in July and August protests
by veterans of the Liberation War. The government stopped paying
pensions to veterans in March, when it was found that senior
politicians and officials looted the War Compensation Fund of nearly
R1 billion.
Hundreds of former guerrillas camped outside Mugabe's official
residence, shouted him down at a Heroes Day commemoration speech, and
stormed the ZANU-PF (ruling party) headquarters (where they urinated
on the walls to show disrespect). The fighters disrupted the bosses'
African/African-American (investment) Summit.
While the Black bosses blathered on about "Black empowerment",
their riot police dispersed ex-combatants, and their government
banned strikes and protests that disrupted services and "public
safety" for two weeks.
The aim of the special levy on workers wages, and the increased
prices, was to get the workers to replace the Fund money stolen by
the indigenous looters. The disgusting exercise was defeated by the
masses!
STRIKE WAVE
Meanwhile in July, a strike wave engulfed security companies,
hotels, restaurants, construction, banks, cement and lime. Railway
and textile workers also struck, whilst postal workers embarked on a
go-slow. In many cases, workers were demanding wage increases of 40
percent.
At the end of September farm workers held their first organised
national strike against the country's 4,000 White and Black
commercial farmers.
"We have been downtrodden too long," shouted one striker: "We can
stand up for our rights".
Thousands of singing workers blocked highways and invaded farms.
In mid-October they won a 40% wage increases and more leave days.
.LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE:
What about the workers?
Faced with mass revolt, a desperate Mugabe has been forced to
make concrete plans for broad land reform for the first time in 17
years. He has promised to redistribute 1772 White-owned commercial
farms.
Several questions remain. Mugabe has stated that he will pay for
the farms. It is unclear how he will raise the money. This raises
doubts as to whether land reform will go ahead.
It seems unlikely that the poor will actually benefit from any
land reforms. Almost all land "redistributed" over the last 17 years
has gone to politicians, top bureaucrats, army and police officials
and their relatives. There is little reason to expect this to change.
Top officials have been quite open that the land will be used for
commercial farming i.e. for capitalist farms.
Land reform should target both White and Black capitalist fat
cats. Mugabe's exclusive focus on White-owned farms is partly an
attempt to hide the sins of the country's indigenous looters by
blaming only one set of bosses.
The regime's ridiculous claim that White bosses opposed to
land reform were behind the recent strikes is a blatant attempt to
divide workers and peasants, and hide the fact that most bosses are,
as ZCTU notes, Black.
The only way for the masses to make sure that the ruling clique
does not hijack their land demands is to INCREASE THE PRESSURE
through mass struggle for land to the poor! Mass action must unite
workers, peasants and veterans in a struggle for LAND AND FREEDOM!
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