Trades Hall

Deirdre Mahoney on the Fight for Africa

On Soweto Day, 16 June, just as Thabo Mbeki replaced Nelson Mandela as South African President, one of the African women who led the anti-apartheid movement in Australia was back here, making a plea for support from Australian unionists to help overcome the grim political situation in her country.

	Deirdre Mahoney

Sekai Holland is from Zimbabwe, one of the few African nations who has not recognised Mbeki as South African leader. She is also Zimbabwe's national chairperson of the Association of Women's Clubs, which sees 60,000 women across her country band together as a social and political force. Sekai was in Australia to pass on the message that political struggle is far from over in Africa.

As a former journalism lecturer, and as a middle-class woman married to a white Australian, Sekai had major factors working against her living in the Mugabe regime. She spoke about the issues connected with political activism to a group brought together by President of the MLC Meredith Burgmann at lunch, and then that night a group of union women. She told of the horror of the torture former students - now investigative journalists - had received at the hands of Robert Mugabe's hacks.

Mugabe's teams specialise in genital mutilation, but also resort to blindings. Amnesty International recently flew two of Sekai's former students to the Medical Foundation for Torture Victims, in London, after they were tortured while on charges of "publishing false information likely to cause alarm and despondency". The journalists revealed a coup plot, and were only released for treatment on condition they be returned to Zimbabwe for trial. According to Sekai, they had problems walking and seeing after their torture.

She spoke of other conditions which were hidden by official statistics, but well-known within the country - 1400 AIDS deaths a day, healthy men being sent to fight in the Congo and returning dead, supposedly of "snake bite" but with their heads chopped off for refusing to fight, no running water in Harare. . . and the list goes on

General cuts in pay and conditions also cut against the grain of the African way of life. Whereas before, visitors were welcome and the extended family always looked after each other, Sekai said Zimbabweans were now in the humiliating position of having to ask visitors when they were going to leave, and having to open their cupboards to show how little they had to feed their own families.

Her association began in the fifties as a response to white people's clubs, and was designed to bring together small groups of women to share skills and knowledge. Since then, the membership has expanded and the movement has now become more political.

She spoke about the women's outrage when they raised funds for the printing of textiles, only to have the fabric made into a "uniform", covered with images of Robert Mugabe's head. Explaining how much they hated having Robert Mugabe on their chests, their stomach and their backs, she said the only place they felt it was fitting having him was on their bottoms so he was put in his place every time they sat.

During her visit to Australia, Sekai held talks with Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, and also spoke with various women about setting up a version of Emily's List in Zimbabwe, with the aim of having 30 women running for parliament at the next elections, due to be held in 2000. And her group is one of a number of like-minded movements which held a National Working People's Convention earlier this year and resolved to form one political party on 3 July, with membership contingent on one essential question: "Do you believe in equality?". "There is only one answer to that question, and that is yes," she said. "If they don't know what to say or take too long to answer we tell them to come back later - they obviously have a serious case of Mugabe-ism."

The party is intended as a grassroots movement which will agitate for political and social change. It is calling for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, adherence to basic human rights standards, and an accountable government, monitored by an independent body. One of the major players in the new party is the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. The Mugabe Government has threatened to ban the ZCTU if it continues to take part in the movement, although there is no legal basis for doing so.

Sekai is setting up a Zimbabwe Information Centre based in Sydney, and the ZIC's web page will also be run from Sydney. The aim is to lobby in the South Pacific region for awareness and funds. She also visited Queensland where the MUA and LHMU have committed to supporting various projects within the women's movements. Anyone interested in finding out how they as individuals, or as a group, can offer financial support for the women in projects that range from sinking bore holes to printing textiles for sale, should watch for the web page, or could contact Peter Murphy on 02 9310 3966.

Deirdre Mahoney is the Labor Council's Special Projects Officer

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 18 contents

»	Carers Crisis: Victims Turned Away
»	Farmers Back Social Audit
»	Holiday Bugs: Government Asked to Act on Y2K
»	Oakdale Miners Take Message to Canberra
»	United Front for Public Sector Pay
»	Talking Books Silenced
»	Upper House Reform: Lest We Forget Greiner
»	Pregnancy Bunfight Looms
»	Horta Launches East Timor Mercy Ship
»	Sparkies Back Fantastic Plastic
»	APHEDA Helps Beat The Blockade
»	Torture Support Day, June 26

»	Guest Report
»	Sport
»	Trades Hall
»	Piers Watch

»	Chardonnay Debate Lacks Class
»	GST Rally, Town Hall, Monday June 21

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