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Tichaona Zindoga Political Editor

Civil society organisations have distanced themselves from a purported petition for the United Nations to withdraw the Zimbabwe Republic Police from peacekeeping missions across the world because of alleged police brutality.The so-called petition was handed to United Nations chief security advisor Mr Oleh Sokorovyi at the UN Arundel Park offices in Harare on Monday by MDC-T activists Sten Zvorwadza, Linda Masarira and others who claimed to be victims of police brutality.

But various organisations whose names were appended to the petition disowned it and have accused the activists of forging signatures.

Zvorwadza and Masarira, who have become perennial participants in sporadic anti-Government protests also stand accused of grandstanding to get the attention of Western donors.

The duo, along with fellow activists Patson Dzamara and Evan Mawarire of the so-called #ThisFlag campaign were scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom but by Tuesday, their schedule appeared in tatters following the rejection of a visa to Mawarire by British authorities.

The quartet had separate travel arrangements but were pencilled to address meetings on Friday and Saturday in Leicester and Dunstable, respectively.

Concern has been raised about how the activists are seeking publicity to line their pockets with donor funds, and the purported petition on Monday caused much anger in the civil society and among ordinary people.

“The Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) has not been approached in this regard and hence has not made any input to the said document, and it would be a disservice to its members to accept it as it is,” said Robson Chere, RTUZ Secretary General in a statement.

He said the apparent forging of signatures “would amount to the process being bogus and the actors’ intentions amounting to fraud.”

“RTUZ thus distances itself from the petition and requests that those responsible publicly apologise and remove the organisation from the list of signatories,” said Mr Chere.

Another organisation, Zimbabwe Yadzoka, took umbrage at the forgery.

“For an organisation/movement to prepare a petition and purport that Zimbabwe Yadzoka supports and even signed it (forged signatures) is not the struggle Zimbabwe Yadzoka is fighting.

“It is not Zimbabwe Yadzoka alone that was not reached. The majority of movements in that petition did not consent, neither did we see the petition before it was handed…At Zimbabwe Yadzoka we strongly discourage this unethical behaviour when dealing with other social movements,” said the organisation in a statement.

The Zimbabwe Activists Alliance said it would support such a petition in principle, but was unhappy with the lack of consultation by those behind the purported petition.

“ZAA is not aware of the clear motive of the petition and its possible controversy,” said the organisation’s national coordinator Ms Lynette Mudehwe.

“We also do not think it is our duty to meddle in the affairs of the United Nations of that nature. Zimbabwe Republic Police is approached as a Zimbabwe institution in the terms of reference of United Nations and its member countries. That the police or individual police officers who abuse office, acting partisanly and in support of Zanu-PF is anti-Constitutional conduct, but it does not absolve the member countries from fulfilling their duties given by the United Nations,” said Ms Mudehwe.

Other organisations expressed disquiet at the unilateral action but would not publicly comment for fear of victimization.

Ms Masarira, however, maintained that signatures were not forged but individuals from various organisations had signed.

“My opinion on the matter is that the civil society is now heavily infiltrated by people who are pursuing other agendas that are apart from those of the movement,” she said.

She denied that she, Zvorwadza and their ilk were attention seekers pining for donor money.