|
Back to Index
South
Africa solidarity statement for Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Solidarity
Forum
May 17, 2006
Adopted by
acclamation at a meeting attended by 130 people held at the Devonshire
hotel on 17th May 2006. Co-hosted by the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum,
CSVR and ACTION for Conflict Transformation.
We the participants
at the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum, CSVR and ACTION for CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION
hosted public forum have the following statement to make:
We condemn in
the strongest possible terms the recent wave of repression that
has swept through Zimbabwe. The arrest and harassment of John Makumbe,
WOZA women
and other prominent civil society activists must not be allowed
to go unchallenged.
We denounce
in the strongest possible terms the arrest and torture of student
activists who have been detained at Maximum prisons and stand in
total solidarity with their struggle for the right to education.
On the anniversary
of Operation Murambatsvina, which essentially criminalizes poverty,
and the ongoing political economic and social crisis that this has
contributed to, it is imperative that we speak out against these
new abuses.
The livelihoods
of hundreds of thousands of people have been destroyed, access to
health and education has been denied, and people have been evicted
from their homes and forced to migrate to rural areas.
Church leaders
have also been interrogated, women and children have been detained
and civil society groups working for peace, justice and human rights
have been systematically undermined and harassed.
We strongly
condemn the government ban and interference on civic society activities
lined up to commemorate the first anniversary of Operation
Murambatsvina. As state sponsored abuse of human rights and
closure of democratic space worsens in Zimbabwe, we seek to remind
the Harare government that the world is watching.
We call on the
South African Government, SADC, the African Union and the United
Nations to speak out in principled opposition to the past and recent
repressive tactics used by the Zimbabwean government to silence
its people.
Immediate action
is required in defense of justice, peace and human rights.
We call on these
bodies and all of those who wish to promote and defend the values
enshrined in the South African constitution to join us in support
of the struggles of the people of Zimbabwe for social justice, democracy
and dignity.
Participants
from the following organizations attended the meeting:
- Ekurhuleni
Metro Police Department
- Conquest
4 Life
- Conflict
and Governance Facility (CAGE)
- South African
National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO)
- Transparency
South Africa (TSA)
- KZN Dionatal
- CIVICUS
- The Grail
- Cease Fire
Campaign
- Heal Zimbabwe
Trust (HZT)
- Congress
of South African Students (COSAS)
- ACTION Support
Centre
- Zimbabwe
Institute (ZI)
- South African
Students' Congress (SASCO)
- Pitseng
- International
Crisis Group (ICG)
- Mthwakazi
Arts Group
- ZIMONLINE
- Zimbabwe
Civil Society's Forum
- Action Aid
International- South Africa
- South African
Communist Party (SACP)
- Coalition
for Peace in Africa (COPA)
- Young Communist
League (YCL)
- Regional
Peace Network
- Institute
for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR)
- CAJ Exiles
- Radio Zibonele-
Khayelitsha
- Bitim - Sweden
- CRISIS
in Zimbabwe Coalition
- Zimbabwe
Refugees Forum (ZIMRE)
- Centre for
Civil Society (CCS)
- Abahlali
base Mjondolo
- Zimbabwe
Liaison Office (ZLO)
- Belgian Embassy
- Meetings
of the Mind
- EISA
- Zimbabwe
Torture Victims Project (ZTVP)
- South African
History Archives (SAHA)
- Gun Free
- Movement
for Democratic Change (MDC)
- Lawyers for
Human Rights (LHR)
- CLLR
- D.E.C.
- Zimbabwe
Action Support Group (ZASG)
- FDS
- SRM Trauma
Healing
- Centre for
the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR)
- Zimbabwe
Solidarity Forum (ZSF)
- UHURU Movement
(Zimbabwe)
- US Embassy
- Amani
Trust
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
