Gift Mashoko
The MDC and its associates in the Civic Society Organisations (CSOs) have launched an organisation meant to spearhead demonstrations against Government in a bid to force President Emmerson Mnangagwa out of power.
The organisation called ‘Organise for Change’ (OFC), which is led by Human Rights Lawyer and Activist, Doug Coltart, was launched early this year in Harare. At the forefront of the formation of OFC were Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Counselling Services Unit (CSU), Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum (ZHRF) and Coltart’s girlfriend, Chloe McGrath.
The organisation is meant to mobilise rural youths to participate in anti-Government protests which are scheduled to begin after the MDC congress.
According to a well placed source, OFC has already trained 30 coordinators from across all the 10 provinces and the training took place in Harare early this month.
At a recently held meeting in Mutare, it was revealed that OFC was going to spearhead mass action against Government. Sources said Coltart had already held meetings in Gweru and Masvingo province.
ARTUZ Vice President Gaudencia Mandiopera and an MDC activist known as Tatenda Sithole have been roped in to assist Coltart with Provincial meetings.
At the meeting, Sithole informed attendees, the majority of which were MDC members, of the intended protest aimed at removing President Mnangagwa. He, however, did not disclose the date on which the mass actions will be staged.
Sithole claimed that OFC was a regional organisation which urges activists in Africa to teach programs that promote democracy, through fighting what he called dictatorship.
Mandiopera urged members to keep OFC programs under a closed lid to avoid arrests. She advised members to use pseudo names to avoid detection by law enforcement agents.
There are concerted efforts by the MDC to make the country ungovernable following the nullification of Chamisa’s party presidency. The violent protests are meant to force a Government of National Unity.
