ZIMBABWE'S major civic
organisations and the opposition Movement forDemocratic Change (MDC) have
begun planning a combined mass action that willkick off in the middle of
June and is aimed at forcing President RobertMugabe to step down to pave the
way for a transitional government, The DailyNews has
established.

The mass action, to take the
form of street demonstrations, willinvolve the MDC, the National
Constitutional Assembly (NCA), the Crisis inZimbabwe Coalition, Transparency
International-Zimbabwe (TIZ) and theZimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU).

NCA spokesman Douglas Mwonzora
yesterday confirmed that there wereplans by the five organisations to stage
a "massive" mass action to forceMugabe
out.

Gift Chimanikire, the MDC deputy
secretary-general, also confirmedthat his party was working with other civic
groups to force Mugabe out.

"Yes, we are
working with a number of partners, but I feel veryuncomfortable to discuss
the strategies because you should know that we aredealing with aat least makeconstitutional provisions to make it possible for
the establishment of atransitional authority," he told The Daily
News.

The ZCTU, TIZ and Crisis in Zimbabwe
leadership could not be reachedfor comment
yesterday.

But Mwonzora said they had
taken part in a meeting last week wherestrategies for the mass action were
mapped out.

The ZCTU has been urging the
public to stock up on food, saying itintended to call for an indefinite mass
action to force the government toimprove the living conditions of
workers.

A stayaway called by the labour
umbrella body last month shut downmost of industry and commerce as the ZCTU
pressed for the reversal of a fuelprice hike of up to 309
percent.

The NCA has held several
demonstrations to pressure the government todraft a new constitution. But
the government has said that the drafting of anew constitution is not a
priority.

Mwonzora said: "The mass