Eddie Cross; No news
The ZCTU action in Bulawayo and Masvingo today was a near complete failure. Both towns were operating normally at noon and remained quiet with no sign of any Union led activity. The Police were not in view to any great extent -one water cannon in Bulawayo wondered around the City looking for people to squirt their water at while in Masvingo three cannon surrounded the local Government building with armed riot police in support. In Bulawayo small groups of riot police were visible - one team with three dogs but by 13.30 hrs they were being stood down. Only one internal road block was reported.
I went to our own factory and asked the workers committee what the problem was - they replied that they had had no communication from the ZCTU, they also could not see any point in demonstrating when there was no chance of seeing any sort of change. They would get "locked up for nothing". It ammounts to cheerful resignation to the status quo at this stage.
Zimbabwe, ZCTU Protest,
I went to our own factory and asked the workers committee what the problem was - they replied that they had had no communication from the ZCTU, they also could not see any point in demonstrating when there was no chance of seeing any sort of change. They would get "locked up for nothing". It ammounts to cheerful resignation to the status quo at this stage.
Zimbabwe, ZCTU Protest,
