Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Peter Mutasa and Secretary General Japhet Moyo yesterday say they received letters from unidentified people that had bullets in following a planned stay away on 22 July 2019.
The letters were warning the unionists leaders not to organise the stay away on 22 July 2019 according to a press release signed by the secretary general.
“The ZCTU is taking these threats seriously and we are worried that our leaders are not safe,” Moyo said.
“However, we believe the threats are part and parcel of efforts to intimidate the ZCTU leaders from discharging their duties.”
In an interview with bhizimusi.com, the secretary general said he is normally not moved by death threats because of his beliefs.
“The mandate we have cannot be hampered by gun trotting thugs,” Moyo said.
“The constitution of the country provides for those rights we are just exercising and if what we demand employers, including the state to observe the same then nothing should stop us going ahead with our plan.”
“It is our members who will have the ultimate say going forward,” Moyo went on.
The letters sent to ZCTU members warned of bullets in the organisation leaders’ body if the businesses were to be destroyed during the planned stay away.
“We have got plenty bullets for you and your family. This time we are not going to sit and watch while you mobilise hooligans to destroy our businesses,” one of the letters reads.
“We have hired mercenaries to deal with you once and for all – unless you stop what you are planning.”
Moyo said,
“We expect the State to observe also its constitutional mandate of safeguarding every Zimbabwean exercising their rights.”