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CSOs petition President Zuma on 2nd All Stakeholders Conference participation
Civil Society Constitutional Reform Coordination Mechanism
October 19, 2012

Following 3 weeks of engagements with COPAC on the autonomous participation, and just representation of Civil Society Organisations at the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference, Civil Society Organisations have petitioned President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, and Facilitator to the Zimbabwean Dialogue process on the matter.

The organisations, meeting under the auspices of the Civil Society Coordinating Mechanisms on Constitutional Reform, resolved to petition President Zuma at their conference which started yesterday, the 18th of October 2012, and will end today the 19th of October in Harare.

The letter to President Zuma beseeches his intervention on the following lines to:

1. Urge our Political parties to come to their senses and allow the ASC to be held in the spirit within which it was conceived, to have All Stakeholders participating not just the three political parties and their perceived allies and surrogates.

2. Re-emphasise to our political leaders the importance of this 2nd All Stakeholders Process, and how having legitimate, non-partisan Civil Society participation can only enhance and add legitimacy and ownership to the process rather than destroy it.

3. Urge COPAC and our Political leaders to honour their commitments around the 70 % Civil Society and 30% Political parties principle, in order to ensure that there is meaningful Civil Society participation.

The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Spokesperson, who signed the letter on behalf of the group, says in it

We believe that our concerns are just and legitimate, and because we have failed to get some relief from parties in Zimbabwe, we now appeal to you and hope that you will be able to assist in dealing with some of the issues we have raised, in a bid to facilitate progress in a positive way on our valued democratic processes

The letter is also copied to President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who chairs the SADC Troika, The Principals, and COPAC Chairpersons.

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