The Workers Solidarity Federation (WSF) actively tried to build links with Zimbabwe, providing a free subscription of its paper Workers Solidarity to the library at the University of Zimbabwe (then still the site of a radical student movement), sending copies for sale at the late, lamented Grassroots  Books in Harare, and doing its best to distribute its analyses of the Zimbabwean situation to activists in Zimbabwe and in the Zim diaspora. Beyond this, it also did some solidarity work with various Zimbabwean struggles. Many people have now forgotten that the ZANU-PF/ Robert Mugabe regime was almost toppled in the late 1990s by massive student and worker protests: the nationalist myth of Mugabe as a progressive and popular radical — popular in recent years — is breaking down these days, but helped hide a history of massive repression against the povo (masses, the people), by simply writing the povo out of history while controlling the streets.

Below are two recently recovered emails — one sent by WSF to the international anarchist movement, and another to the South African left — to appeal for solidarity against the massive crackdowns that took place in early 1998:

 

EMAIL ONE:
Received: from […] 21 Jan 98 10:31:37 GMT +2:00
Return-path: <owner-organise@tao.ca>
Received: from […]
From: “Lucien W.” […]
Subject: org: EMERGENCY-defend Zimbabwe workers

Comrades,

Today Robert Mugabe, the ruler of Zimbabwe, a country next to South Africa, ordered soldiers into Harare, the capital. The soldiers have been sent to crush a spotaneous general strike and rioting by the workers.

The soldiers were sent in after riot polce failed to contain the situation. The soldiers have orders to “shoot to kill” anyone disturbing “law and order”. It is possible that a full State of Emergency will be declared later today.

The workers and the poor are protesting high prices and low wages.

The press presents the struggles as “isolated looting”. But it is a mass protest movement with widespread support.

The regime says it is the work of reactionary opponents of land reform and of the government- outrageous lies by a de facto one party state which has broken every promise of land reform it has ever made since independence in 1980.

The facts show otherwise. The 3 day revolt follows on weeks of consumer boycotts in the townships by the workers. These boycotts in turn follow the succesful general strike of 9 December 1997 for lower prices. The strikers were driven off the streets by riot police that day.

I will post more background on the simmering revolt in Zimbabwe tomorrow.

FOR NOW, I CALL ON ALL COMRADES TO SEND MESSAGES OF PROTEST TO THE ZIMBAWE GOVERNMENT. STATE YOUR OPPOSITION TO THE USE OF SOLDIERS EMPOWERED TO USE LETHAL FORCE BEING DEPLOYED AGAINST WORKERS WITH LEGITMATE GREVIANCES. TAKE OTHER ACTIONS IF YOU CAN. CALL ON THE REGIME TO DESIST FROM KILLING THE WORKERS.

PLEASE COMRADES- IF ANYONE HAS ADDRESSES, FAX NUMBERS, E-MAIL NUMBERS FOR THE ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT SEND THEM TO ‘ORGANISE’ [list serv] NOW.

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!
Workers, unite!
Yours,
Lucien
WSF
South Africa

EMAIL 2:

Received: from […]
Return-path: <owner-debate@sunsite>[…]
22 Jan 98 09:02:55 GMT +2:00
From: “Lucien W.” […]
Subject: Defend Zimbabwe workers and poor
[…]

Comrades,

For those who would like to register their protests at the clampdown on protest in Zimbabwe, there is a web page
http://www.mediazw.com/gov/

with loads of phone, fax etc number for Zimbabwe state institutions, including at it happens a lot of the army barracks. The most relevant may be

Ministry of Public Service Labour & Social Welfare

HEAD OFFICE
12 TH Floor
CompensationHouse
CentralAvenue/ 4th Street
P/Bag
7707,
Causeway
(263-4) 790871/2/

Minister
263-4) 790871/2/
796451/0/796460/
707266-9

——-

Bye,
Lucien