Harare - On the corner of two streets named after Southern African heroes, most of the leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and about 200 peaceful demonstrators, many of them women, were arrested yesterday.
The Star (South Afirca)

South African trade union federation Cosatu says up to 200 people were arrested.

Several ZCTU leaders were still at large yesterday and fears have been expressed about the safety of four executive members taken into custody by the army.

Mlamleli Sibanda, Last Tarabuku, Tabita Khumalo and Leonard Ngwenzi were last seen being dragged from a ZCTU minibus by soldiers at a roadblock in central Harare shortly before 1pm

Cosatu has called for solidarity with the workers and the poor of Zimbabwe.

It asked for President Robert Mugabe to intervene and ensure the immediate release of those arrested and for the scrapping of the draconian Public Order Security Act, which it said would soon allow only cabinet ministers to gather.

"Reports we have now is that at least 200 people have been arrested in Harare alone," Cosatu said.

The anti-poverty march began at the corner of Nelson Mandela and Leopold Takawira streets on the western edge of the city centre, with songs about poverty and placards against "zhing-zhong", which is Zimbabwe slang for poor-quality Chinese goods.

Within 10 minutes, scores of well-equipped riot police moved in and ended the march.

The singing protesters were told to climb into a large lorry and a bakkie and were taken off to Harare Central police station.
Police cordoned off Leopold Takawaria Street, named after one
of the founders of the ruling Zanu-PF, diverted the traffic, kept their dogs on their leashes, and without much fuss ended the demonstration almost as quickly as it began, watched by hundreds of bystanders.

On Monday night, two Bulawayo ZCTU officials were arrested, and at dawn a third was picked up there.

ZCTU president Lovemore Matombo and secretary-general Wellington Chibebe were arrested in the city centre while walking to the point where the march started.