ZCTU slams Gift Ostallos Siziba’s May Day antics

Oscar J Jeke

Zim Now Reporter

Zimbabwe’s biggest labour body, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union, has slammed recalled Citizens Coalition for Change legislator for Pelandaba-Tshabalala, Gift Ostallos Siziba’s antics at Gwanzura Stadium on Workers’ Day.

This comes as the former legislator, who is a close ally of former Citizens Coalition for Change leader Nelson Chamisa, walked out of the May Day celebrations venue in protests over the ZCTU’s decision not to give him a slot to address the workers.

In a statement yesterday, ZCTU secretary-general, Japhet Moyo said Siziba left the venue because he had not been allowed a slot to speak. “For the record, over the years ZCTU has been inviting political parties with Parliamentary representation to its commemorations. This year, we invited all political parties with Parliamentary representation and all of them were in attendance and we did not accord them an opportunity to speak, that is what Mr Siziba wanted, that is why he walked out. We expect decorum from our guests and the should respect our protocols and programmes,” said Moyo.

The ZCTU SG also said Siziba left during the labour union president Florence Mucha Taruvinga’s speech, adding that spinners picked on a part of her speech on the “nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” mantra and used it out of context to fulfil their own agendas.

“The mantra Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo is indeed resonating to the inclusive Zimbabwe that we all want. But how does that happen with the level of inequalities that are currently obtaining where the citizenry is looking at the so-called Mbingas for crumbs? How do you explain a situation where an individual have access to millions of dollars they do not know how to use except dishing out when workers cannot afford one decent meal or send children to government school? We have seen the elderly in the streets selling anything to feed themselves and their great-great (sic) children when some people do not know what to do with money,” Moyo quoted the ZCTU president’s speech.

He also alleges that former CCC deputy spokesperson, walked out of the Gwanzura Stadium because he had seen he would not be able to address the gathering.

“Mr Siziba came to the stadium late and through his emissaries, asked for a slot to speak on behalf of CCC. After being told that ZCTU president had made a decision not to allow political parties to speak, more so after the ZCTU president had spoken, he decided to leave the stadium in the middle of the President Florence Mucha Taruvinga’s speech, distracting attention of the crowd.

“It is unfortunate that spinners are claiming that he left because the ZCTU president had used the mantra ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’, it is also mischievous to twist the context on which the ZCTU president referred to the mantra,” he added.

The opposition in Zimbabwe, especially the movement for democratic Change had its origins in the labour movement with its late former founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai having served as ZCTU president around the time of the birth of the MDC.