MDC behaves "autocratically"???

Urgent Press Release

Zimbabwe: MDC woman leader & SADC trade union leader bring urgent court action against MDC leadership

If the MDC behaves autocratically now, how will it behave if it gets power?

The top ranking woman leader in the Movement for Democratic Change � Lucia Matibenga, who is also first vice of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the Southern African Development Community Confederation of Trade Unions, has brought an urgent interdict against the Movement for Democratic Change leadership and Morgan Tsvangirai.

Matibenga, who was also a guerrilla in the Zimbabwe war of independence and whose late husband was a revered hero, took action after embattled MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai disbanded the MDC Women's Assembly last week.

The Women's Assembly has been the most active section of the MDC politically and in successive political campaigns has been the only arm of the MDC willing to undertake door-to-door campaigns.

In September last year Matibenga was one of a group of protestors who were arrested during civil rights demonstrations and severely tortured. On that occasion Matibenga led trade unionists and MDC women in protests against Zimbabwe's then 1 000% rate of inflation (it's now closer to 1m%) and no medication for those ill with HIV or AIDS. It is the third time Matibenga had been detained and tortured.

Matibenga filed papers in the Harare High Court on Friday. The application is expected to be heard tomorrow (Tuesday, 23 October) in Harare. Matibenga said: "The MDC leadership is breaking the constitution left, right and centre. I have applied for an indictment to stop them holding an extraordinary conference on 28 October. My application is an attempt to force the MDC to follow its constitution.

There are three constitutional clauses that the MDC has contravened says Matibenga they include: * Sections 54 and 52 of the MDC Constitution, that the standing committee shall have no executive or policy decision making powers these are under the auspices of the National Council;

� The Women's Assembly Constitution, clause 622, says any changes in the make up of the Women's Assembly (which has more than half of all MDC members) shall only occur after an extraordinary congress either by the National Council of the Party or the National Council of the Women;

� Composition of delegates to the extraordinary congress on October 28 is being limited to provincial and district structures although it should go down to ward level, instead of 3 000 delegates entitled to vote only 230 people have been invited.

Matibenga said: "The MDC leadership is showing it is allergic to strong women, they want women they can manipulate. The leadership had the audacity to say to me the women's section is not performing and yet they have given us no resources, we have no fax machine, only one telephone, no chairs, no desk, I have to travel by public transport to meetings whereas the male leadership all have one, two or even three vehicles each."

Matibenga has been receiving calls of solidarity and support from organisations across the world.

Grace Kwinjeh, a Zimbabwean writer and well-known human rights campaigner who was also detained and tortured in March this year said from Johannesburg: "this is no longer just about women, but how men and women in the MDC leadership uphold the laws that they have put in place. They adopted both the Womens Assembly and National Party Constitutions and it is absurd that they are violating them.

"What will happen if the MDC gets into government if it continues to operate in this way. The manner in which it operates now gives us an indicator of the sort of government it would be in the future � and that gives cause for concern. Zimbabweans are tired of autocratic mismanagement."

� Lucia Matibenga (53) lives in Gweru and is the mother of four children. She has been politically active all her life. She was a founder member of the MDC.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lucia Matibenga 00 263 91 2850 532

Grace Kwinjeh c/o friendsoflucia@gmail.com

Issued by MediaOnLine 011 646 7637 mediaonline@global.co.za