100 women seized in Zimbabwe fees protest

100 women seized in Zimbabwe fees protest

• Headmasters face jail as Education Bill sails through

• Minister fails to pay fees for his kids

• Zim parents undeterred by fees hikes

• Teachers fight take-over of private schools

• Zim's private schools see red over fees imposition

• Zimbabwe's rural teachers lose glamour

• Zim rehires retired teachers as strike widens

• Teachers deamand 100% pay rise, go on strike

• Zim civil servants demand 100pc

• Civil servants' pay rise now 300pc

• Teacher tells pupils to suckle her breasts as punishment

• Zim exam board has no money for exams

• Zim reverses education gains

• School heads arrested in fees row

• Private schools go to court

• Parents fume over school closures

• Mugabe pledges to cap school fees

By Staff Reporter

ABOUT 100 Zimbabwean women were held in detention on Friday after being arrested in the second city of Bulawayo for marching in protest against sharp rises in school fees, officials said.

All are members of pressure group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), which in the past has demonstrated over economic hardships in the southern African country.

Police seized them late on Thursday after marching to government education offices and kept them overnight in police cells. They were still in detention late on Friday, said WOZA officials, speaking from Bulawayo and asking not to be named.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena confirmed the arrests but could give no details.

Zimbabwe has banned public demonstrations and gatherings without police permission since 2000 as tensions rose over an economic crisis.

A WOZA official said the women had not been brought to court on Friday as scheduled but could not say why.

"Maybe they will now appear in court tomorrow (Saturday) or Monday," the official said.

School fees have more than doubled ahead of a new term from next Tuesday after the government allowed state and private schools to hike them in line with inflation.

Inflation, at a record 913.6 percent, is the most visible sign of an 8-year recession marked by shortages of foreign currency, food and fuel and a jobless rate of over 70 percent.

Authorities have threatened an even tougher crackdown since the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change announced last month it would organise street protests to end President Robert Mugabe's 26-year rule.

Mugabe charges that the economic strife is a result of sabotage by opponents of his programme to seize white-owned commercial farms to hand to landless blacks - Reuters
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com