Zimbabwe Human Rights Situation in Intensive Care Unit

Latest developments in Zimbabwe have unequivocally proved that the Zimbabwean government does not care at all about the rights and freedoms of the ordinary citizens and the human rights situation in the country is in a dilapidated and malfunctioning Intensive Care Unit.

Following a decision by the Zimbabwe Nurses Association to go for a job strike to demand their rights that backdate to the year 2010, the Vice President (and former army general) Mr C. Chiwenga decided to summarily dismiss about 15,000 nurses, who exercising their rights as expressed in Section 59 of the Constitution. The nurses’ dismissal is being done without consideration for labour laws and contractual rights of the nurses.

This incident clearly show that there is little to no regard to the rights of the general person in Zimbabwe by the government. The government has no regard of the rights of the public as well as the rights of workers.

The decision by the Vice President former army General Chiwenga to summarily dismiss all striking nurses in the country is litmus test of worse human rights violations to follow. If the government cannot promote and enhance social and economic rights, how will it promote political rights in the fortcoming general elections?

Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights would like to conjure all human rights defenders, activists and practitioners within Zimbabwe and abroad to be on high alert as the signs are already clear that worse human rights violations are on the horizon, since teachers have also threatened a strike and there is a general election lurking close by.