tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57597800378284217312024-03-13T17:24:22.394+02:00African Nonviolence & Peacebuilding NetworkThe purpose of this blog is to provide a space for members to share their work and thoughts on nonviolence to create a continent where the values of nonviolence are used to achieve peace, justice, democracy and developmentAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-35277287857944697312013-05-28T09:40:00.001+02:002013-05-28T09:40:47.820+02:00FW: Making a killing<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S44k_Khx3iQ/UaRfgPL4xAI/AAAAAAAAA8w/N13PyRfjUXk/s1600/Image%2B%2528316%2529-747820.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S44k_Khx3iQ/UaRfgPL4xAI/AAAAAAAAA8w/N13PyRfjUXk/s320/Image%2B%2528316%2529-747820.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5882932020689552386" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Hi Jeremy<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Not sure if this is appropriate for the blog?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>L<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Laura Pollecutt [mailto:pollecut@mweb.co.za] <br> <b>Sent:</b> 28 May 2013 09:36 AM<br> <b>To:</b> 'Rob Thomson'; 'Terry Crawford-Browne'; 'Gunvant Govindjee'; 'Jacob Sebidi'; 'Joseph Dube'; 'Kennedy Mabasa'; 'Odette Ntambara'; 'Thandeka Zondi'; 'Max Coleman'; 'Jessica Bishop'; 'jeremyRRoutledge@gmail.com'; 'maseeiso@gmail.com'; 'sesupom@aol.com'; 'Richard Smith'<br> <b>Subject:</b> Making a killing<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>This is really bad news, especially for Africa.<o:p></o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-10595058292858686192013-03-27T07:08:00.001+02:002013-03-27T07:08:35.343+02:00SANDF in unnecessary intervention on the continent<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;background: yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>The Ceasefire Campaign is deeply disturbed by the unnecessary loss of life in the Central African Republic. Our hearts go out to the families of the soldiers—both South African and foreign—who have died in this unnecessary conflict..</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>It is unacceptable that South Africans have died in an armed conflict in which there is so little public knowledge of precisely what it is that the SANDF is doing in the CAR in the first place. The absence of clear information and the lack of public accountability in the defence force decision making processes makes this loss of life all the more tragic.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>The Ceasefire Campaign reiterates its unwavering position that military interventions are not the solution to the deep rooted forms of social conflict on our continent. Where the deployment of troops appear to be linked to the protection of economic interests and the assets of South African capital serious questions need to be raised about the way in which human life and material interests are being valued by those in positions of power.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'> The White Paper on Peace Missions accepted in October 1994, that still purports to serve as the guide to the deployment of South African troops makes it clear that South Africa’s preferred options are preventive diplomacy, peace-making, and peace building. In a context of deeply polarised armed conflict, such as the Central African Republic, the deployment of troops inevitably allies South Africa with one side, and against another. The loss of lives in the CAR is explicitly linked to this alignment, which goes against the grain of South Africa’s intended international diplomatic and foreign policy agenda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>Ceasefire rejects the need for South African troops to be used in contexts such as the CAR and calls for the burden of the lives lost to be placed squarely on the shoulders of the SANDF and South African Government officials involved in the decision making process that led to their deployment<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>The short-sighted self-interests of opportunists that have used these events to call for greater resources to be pumped into the military and to expand the military role South Africa is playing on the continent, need also to be exposed. Ceasefire reiterates its call for resources to be redirected away from a military that is unnecessary, and that utilises resources that would be better spent on meeting the social needs of all South Africans In this way we could be contributing to a deeper more collective form of human security for all.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>Issued 27 March<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%'>Contacts: Rob Thomson: 011 6465332/072 8126251; Guni Govindjee 011 835 2341; Laura Pollecutt 082 0923849</span><o:p></o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-86581679761872444622012-11-23T07:21:00.001+02:002012-11-23T07:21:11.388+02:00FW: Hours to stop the gay death penalty<div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <div> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Emma Ruby-Sachs - Avaaz.org [mailto:avaaz@avaaz.org] <br> <b>Sent:</b> 23 November 2012 12:17 AM<br> <b>To:</b> pollecut@mweb.co.za<br> <b>Subject:</b> Hours to stop the gay death penalty<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Dear friends, <o:p></o:p></p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 align=right width=220 style='width:165.0pt;background:white;margin-left:11.25pt'> <tr> <td style='border:solid black 1.0pt;padding:7.5pt 7.5pt 7.5pt 7.5pt'> <p class=MsoNormal style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:13.5pt; mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal: column;mso-element-left:right;mso-element-top:middle;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm;text-decoration:none'><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJHgaOS0hg/UK8Hx2vRVLI/AAAAAAAAA6s/QLcdPXJP9uk/s1600/image001-771388.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJHgaOS0hg/UK8Hx2vRVLI/AAAAAAAAA6s/QLcdPXJP9uk/s320/image001-771388.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5813874197047366834" /></a></span></a><br> <br> In hours, Uganda could pass a law that could impose <b>the death penalty for homosexuality</b>. An international outcry shelved this bill last year -- we urgently need to ramp up the pressure to <b>press President Museveni to stand up for human rights</b> and stop this brutal law. Sign below, and tell everyone: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;mso-element:frame; mso-element-frame-hspace:13.5pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical: paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-element-left:right; mso-element-top:middle;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><br> <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm;text-decoration:none'><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJHgaOS0hg/UK8Hx2vRVLI/AAAAAAAAA6s/QLcdPXJP9uk/s1600/image001-771388.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YsJHgaOS0hg/UK8Hx2vRVLI/AAAAAAAAA6s/QLcdPXJP9uk/s320/image001-771388.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5813874197047366834" /></a></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p class=MsoNormal>The Ugandan Parliament is set to pass a brutal law that could carry the death penalty for homosexuality. If they do, <b>thousands of Ugandans could face execution -- just for being gay</b>.<br> <br> <b>We've helped stop this bill before, and we can do it again.</b> After a massive global outcry last year, Ugandan President Museveni blocked the bill's progress. But political unrest is mounting in Uganda, and religious extremists in Parliament are hoping confusion and violence in the streets will distract the international community from a second push to pass this hate-filled law. We can <b>show them that the world is still watching</b>.<br> <br> We have no time to lose. Let's get <b>one million voices against Uganda's gay death penalty in the next 24 hours</b> -- we'll deliver it to Uganda's leaders and key countries. <b>Click here to take action</b>, then forward this email to everyone:<br> <br> <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428">http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428</a><br> <br> <b>Being gay in Uganda is already dangerous</b> and terrifying. LGBT Ugandans are regularly harassed and beaten, and just last year gay rights activist David Kato (pictured above) was brutally murdered in his own home. Now they are threatened by this draconian law which could impose life imprisonment for people convicted of same-sex relations, and the <b>death penalty for "serial offenders"</b>. Even NGOs working to prevent the spread of HIV can be imprisoned for "promoting homosexuality" under this hate-filled law. <br> <br> Right now, <b>Uganda is in political turmoil</b> -- missing millions of aid money has embroiled the Parliament in scandal. <b>This upheaval has provided religious extremists in Parliament the perfect chance to slip in the shelved anti-gay bill</b>, calling it a "Christmas gift" to Ugandans.<br> <br> <b>President Museveni backed away from this bill before,</b> after international pressure threatened Uganda's support. Let's build a million strong petition to stop the gay death penalty bill again, and save lives. <b>We only have hours -- sign below, then tell friends and family:</b><br> <br> <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428">http://www.avaaz.org/en/uganda_stop_gay_death_law/?bUedmab&v=19428</a><br> <br> Last time, our international petition condemning the gay death penalty law was delivered to Parliament – spurring a global news story and enough pressure to block the bill for months. When a tabloid newspaper published 100 names, pictures and addresses, of suspected gays and those identified were threatened, Avaaz supported a legal case against the paper and we won! <b>Together we have stood up, time and time again, for Uganda's gay community -- now they need us more than ever.</b><br> <br> With hope and determination, <br> <br> Emma, Iain, Alice, Luis, Ricken, Joseph, Michelle and the whole Avaaz team<br> <br> <br> MORE INFORMATION <br> <br> Ugandan lawmakers hold hearings on anti-gay bill (AP)<br> <a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20110510-335659/Ugandan-lawmakers-hold-hearings-on-anti-gay-bill">http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20110510-335659/Ugandan-lawmakers-hold-hearings-on-anti-gay-bill</a><br> <br> Uganda gay activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera hailed (BBC)<br> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13278374">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13278374</a><br> <br> Pulling Out All the Stops to Push an Antigay Bill (New York Times)<br> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/world/africa/14uganda.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/world/africa/14uganda.html</a><br> <br> Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill: Anyone Can Be "Liable To Suffer Death" (Box Turtle Bulletin)<br> <a href="http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2012/11/16/51026">http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2012/11/16/51026</a><br> <br> Ugandan Speaker Wants 'Kill the Gays' Bill Passed by Tuesday (Towleroad)<br> <a href="http://www.towleroad.com/2012/11/ugandan-speaker-wants-kill-the-gays-bill-passed-by-tuesday.html">http://www.towleroad.com/2012/11/ugandan-speaker-wants-kill-the-gays-bill-passed-by-tuesday.html</a><br> <br> Order paper Tuesday 20th November 2012 (Parliament of Uganda)<br> <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/114102346/PARLIAMENT-OF-UGANDA-Order-paper-Tuesday-20th-November-2012">http://www.scribd.com/doc/114102346/PARLIAMENT-OF-UGANDA-Order-paper-Tuesday-20th-November-2012</a><br> <br> <br> <span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm'><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KIrhMoGWJfk/UK8Hyrmre_I/AAAAAAAAA64/9uoTxfj1UAw/s1600/%257EWRD000-774879.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KIrhMoGWJfk/UK8Hyrmre_I/AAAAAAAAA64/9uoTxfj1UAw/s320/%257EWRD000-774879.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5813874211238411250" /></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <div align=center> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;background:#F0F0F0'> <tr> <td style='padding:12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt'> <p class=MsoNormal><b>Support the Avaaz Community!</b> <o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt'> <p class=MsoNormal>We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way. <o:p></o:p></p> </td> <td style='padding:12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt'></td> <td style='padding:12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt 12.0pt'> <p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/en/donate_to_avaaz_gc/?cl=2200275212&v=19428"><span style='border:solid windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0cm;text-decoration:none'><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KIrhMoGWJfk/UK8Hyrmre_I/AAAAAAAAA64/9uoTxfj1UAw/s1600/%257EWRD000-774879.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KIrhMoGWJfk/UK8Hyrmre_I/AAAAAAAAA64/9uoTxfj1UAw/s320/%257EWRD000-774879.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5813874211238411250" /></a></span></a><o:p></o:p></p> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:#3F3F3F'><br> Avaaz.org is a 16-million-person global campaign network</span></b><span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:#3F3F3F'> that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 19 countries on 6 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/highlights.php/?footer">here</a>, or follow us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Avaaz">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/Avaaz">Twitter</a>.<br> </span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:dimgray'><br> You are getting this message because you signed "<a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma">Stand with the Burmese Protesters</a>" on 2007-09-27 using the email address pollecut@mweb.co.za.<br> To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, https://secure.avaaz.org/act/index.php?r=profile&user=1f596dcea7b5e8e118c219f91dd7bc35&lang=en, or simply <b><a href="https://secure.avaaz.org/act/?r=unsub&cl=2200275212&email=pollecut@mweb.co.za&b=2031&v=19428&lang=en">go here to unsubscribe</a></b>.</span><br> <br> <span style='font-size:7.5pt;color:dimgray'>To contact Avaaz, please <b>do not reply to this email.</b> Instead, write to us at <a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/contact?footer">www.avaaz.org/en/contact</a> or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).</span> <o:p></o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-61087185497395991422012-11-08T20:02:00.001+02:002012-11-08T20:02:08.014+02:00From liberation movement to state power<h2>From liberation movement to state power</h2> <h3>100 of years ANC, revolt of the poor and search for a post-apartheid South Africa</h3> <h4>Adèle Kirsten and Tshepo Madlingozi</h4> <h4>2012-11-05, Issue <a href="http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/605">605</a></h4> <h4><a href="http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/85242">http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/85242</a></h4> <div class="ar_summary" style="overflow:hidden;width:95%;border:2px solid #c00;padding:5px;margin-bottom:5px;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?q=zuma&uname=110842048834086824084&psc=G&filter=1#5325724166684140562"><span class="imagecapL"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sJvt15kuIMQ/UJvzoMZIf1I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/YVw6birBMP0/s1600/zuma-728014.jpg"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sJvt15kuIMQ/UJvzoMZIf1I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/YVw6birBMP0/s320/zuma-728014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5808504016271343442" /></a><br> <em>cc B H</em></span></a>Adèle Kirsten, Local Government Action, and Tshepo Madlingozi, Khulumani Support Group, talk about the massacre of Marikana, their ambivalent relationship to the ANC, white capital and the revolt of the poor in today's South Africa.</div> <p>INTRODUCTION<br> <br> Adèle Kirsten is from Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a social scientist and a political activist. During the 1970s she joined the fight against Apartheid. She has fought for social justice and against militarisation ever since. Adèle Kirsten has co-founded and was head of Gun Free South Africa (GFSA). Nowadays she coordinates Local Government Action, an alliance of social movements and non-governmental organisations.<br> <br> Tshepo Madlingozi is from Bloemfontien, South Africa. As a lawyer and a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria he is engaged in the work of Khulumani Support Group, one of the largest self-help organisations of survivors of apartheid. It fights for the visibility and compensation of its 60,000 members and champions the cause of a just society. He belongs to the first generation of activists who grew up in post-apartheid era. At present he lives and works in London writing his PhD thesis. In 2013 , 'Symbols or Substance: Socio-economic rights strategies in South Africa', edited by Tshepo Madlingozi, will be published.<br> <br> For almost 40 years, the development and human-rights organization Medico International, together with African, Asian and Latin-American partners, struggles for the human right to health and the improvement of living conditions in war and crisis regions. Health requires the full respect for people's economic, social and cultural needs in times of distress. This implies analysing the causes of poverty and violence and working towards their elimination and for alternatives to liberal globalization. In 1997 the International Campaign to Ban Landmines co-founded by medico international was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.<br> <br> THE INTERVIEW<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: In September 34 people were killed during the strike of mineworkers in Marikana. Would you mark this as a historical break? Is there an ANC era before and after Marikana?<br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: It is historical, of course. Not so many people have been killed by police post-1994. So, just the scale of it is shocking, is historical. If you look at the protests that have been happening in local government, all of them where the police have acted have been very hostile and very repressive. Moving from banning the marches to imposing bail conditions that are very harsh, to killing people. So for me that is not historical in the sense that it is something new and unexpected, it is a culmination of a repressive government that has always been there, from apartheid era to 'post'-apartheid era.<br> <br> ADÈLE KIRSTEN: The immediate reaction after the massacre felt as if this is a watershed moment in our democracy. However, it is too early to know the long-term impacts and whether there is a shift in the way we are going. There are some really worrying signs, though. This is the single biggest killing of people by the state indeed. A research project I was involved in has shown two findings concerning the police: Either they were completely absent during political community mobilisation and protest or their presence, if at all they were present, kindled the potential for violence because of their own violent response. For me this is a kind of failure of the democratic transformation project for which the police were seen as a key institution. The project to turn our police from a repressive police force into a human rights police, for which people worked on developing an agenda, has failed.<br> <br> Furthermore, on President Zuma's initiative during the period between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, the remilitarisation of the police was begun and has been put to practice in the last two years. This has created a cultural climate which encourages police to use maximum force. This has been made public but there has been a lack of political clarity at all levels, parliamentary oversight also has been unclear and has given different views on when police may or may not shoot. So, for example, in 2008 then Deputy Safety and Security Minister and now Minister of Mining instructed the police to 'kill the bastards', referring to criminals. This has not been forgotten and one of the things we are struggling to understand is whether people were killed because they were not part of a trade union which is part of the Tripartite Alliance [Alliance between the ANC, the Union Federation COSATU and the South African Communist Party]. People feel that the reason why the miners were killed is that they were black, by black police; this is the state killing black workers. So the racial dimension is a huge issue in the discussion. Interestingly, and this is where we are seeing some kind of political shift, anyone who is strongly aligned with the ANC calls it a tragedy. You will not hear any ANC official call it a massacre. It is the civil society and the media that use the word massacre. Journalists have discovered that 14 people were directly killed in the line of fire, and in fact the majority of people were hunted down, followed and executed cold-bloodedly amongst the rocks and therefore it was both a massacre and a kind of execution.<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: Does the government plan to set up a commission?<br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: Circumstances need to be right for a watershed moment to usher in a new era in which such things do not happen again. However, if you observe the commission that has been set up to look into this massacre, if you examine the response from the state, from the president and from the security cluster it does not seem as if there would be fundamental changes. To begin with, the reasons why all this happened in the first place are the massive inequality and the living conditions of workers, miners, which are appalling. This is not going to change. The massive inequality between workers and bosses, black people and white people, is not going to change either. Second, it is highly improbable that this moment is going to trigger a new alternative movement to the ruling ANC, similar to the emergence of the UDF [United Democratic Front] in the 1980s. On the state's side nothing is going to change. Just have a look at who has been dominating the discussion in 'civil society'; it has been the same old voices, formal NGOs once again. It will still be us, lawyers, researchers, academics, who dominate the discussion, even at the commission investigating the events which is going to cost five to seven million Euros, a waste of money that will go to lawyers, researchers, academics and the judges. No strong social movement will arise from this, a mass base movement will not emerge. There will not be a fundamental transformation of the way the police treat protests either. It may be too early to anticipate the outcomes of this (commission) but I am not very hopeful that the root causes are going to be addressed in order to prevent such a massacre from happening ever again. And the last thing we have not spoken about so far is the fact that black life is still cheap in South Africa. That is not going to change soon.<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: The events of Marikana are frightening. Is this watershed moment going to lead to an even more explosive situation?<br> <br> ADÈLE KIRSTEN: The state is consolidating its position and what this means is that it becomes very defensive and hypersensitive to criticism. For example, over the last few years it has held the view (at least publicly) that the community protests are organised by a 'third force' and therefore does not see it as necessary to understand or engage with the meaning of these protests. And it takes a heavy hand such as banning protests. There is a consolidation of positions of the state. The ANC is taking a very paranoid position that is organised by a 'Third Force' which is somehow deliberately undermining the ruling party. We have seen high levels of paranoia in the last weeks, the banning of protest, for example.<br> <br> We are witnessing an increasingly paranoiac defensive state that is going to shut down opportunity for engagement around issues and protest and a hardening of attitudes. So I think we are going to have an increase in protest and in the new surveillance both by protesters and by the state. Things are going to get worse; we are going to see increased levels of violence. Living conditions are not going to change fundamentally but I think there are pockets within the ANC where people recognise that unless the issue of material conditions and informal segments are addressed the party is in serious trouble. You also have to realise that over the next 18 months we are in a state of paralysis because of the ANC policy conference in December. Therefore everyone is struggling for positions and in 18 or 14 months after December we are heading towards another general election. That partly explains why you might not see any change. People are positioning themselves politically. Any delivery of programme or services becomes secondary.<br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: It is not sustainable, of course. We are unique in this. No other country has so many fault lines; racial fault lines, class divisions, gender, etcetera. We have not talked about the gender dimension. There is a gender war going on... We are talking about ten to twelve thousand protests a year; this is more than anywhere in the world. It is a game: people destroy some property, the police come and disperse them, and the protest dies down. In 2008 people said: 'We are poor, we are voting, we are in a democracy but nothing changes. Therefore we are going to blame the foreigners.'<br> <br> If we talk about the land question, sometimes our politicians are talking about what is happening in the urban areas but for the majority of citizens' issues of land, issues of poverty, passed on from one generation to another, the living conditions have not changed. They are almost the same as under apartheid. This, too, is a ticking time bomb. We are going to court as civil society in order to solve some individual cases but the big stuff is left unattended: the land question is unresolved, economic redistribution is not addressed, racial equality is not attained, cultural transformation in terms of how people act towards people who do not have the same sexual orientation, towards women, towards people who are not from South Africa all of these cannot be addressed in the courtroom.<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: Which role does the state play?<br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: The state is paralysed. First, the intelligentsia as well as local government people are divided into camps either championing the cause of President Zuma [President of South Africa since 2009, president of the ANC since 2007], or of Julius Malema [president of the ANC Youth League, suspended in 2012]. Second, it is true that the there are not enough skilled people in government. Third, there is not much the state can do. It cannot tackle the land question because of the constitution. In a globalized world that favours free market and liberalism if you do anything radical in terms of fundamental economic transformation you will be punished.<br> <br> Fourth, there is a massive problem with corruption and materialism. People are talking very freely about how much money they give to bribe state officials; it is widely accepted. My fear is that the culture of corruption will become more and more institutionalised. Apart from that, economic redistribution is not in the hands of the state. We have the highest level of inequality in the world. So many social ills come from inequality. It is up to the rich to do something about it; it is up to white people to acknowledge that they have been massively privileged, that black poverty is a direct result of white privilege. The two are linked; it is a class apartheid. Even though some black people can get rich, there is still racial inequality. It is not only the state which bears responsibility but also white people and the ANC bear a share of the responsibility. However, the ANC is messed up and the state is paralysed. The state could do a lot but it is failing constitutionally, politically and socially.<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: Listening to you one gets the impression that you feel betrayed by the ANC. In South Africa a freedom movement took over a government. What does that mean for strong social movements beyond the ANC today?<br> <br> <br> ADÈLE KIRSTEN: Despite the seemingly organic nature of some of the protests, the ANC remains the pivotal point around which everything happens. Everything still is organised around the ANC. For example, protest action is organised by senior ANC branch members. People who work in the local branch do not quit the branch but help set up citizens' groups which are concerned about the service in their community. They (this refers to the main protagonists or organisers of the protests) organise the rally, they organise the young men who then fight the street battles. And once the aim of getting rid of the councillor they do not like is achieved, they install their ANC person. This is how some really interesting social demands and mobilisations get reabsorbed by the ANC. So the ANC remains the central organisational pivot in South Africa's peoples' lives. <br> <br> Given the structure of South Africa's economy which remains focused on the historical arena of industrial white capital and the relative lack of economic opportunity particularly within business for many black South Africans, because it is dominated by white capital, the state becomes the only and perhaps most obvious avenue through which to accumulate the address for accumulating resources, for class mobility. There are a lot of struggles to get positions within the party; people are being killed for their positions, as we see in KwaZulu-Natal. <br> <br> We have not seen that since the 1980s. Despite the failures and all the bad things the ANC has done there is a deep emotional attachment to it and it is very hard to completely break away particularly so because it was an extraordinary liberation movement. However, a huge mistake we made – I am telling you that as an internal person, during the late 1980s and the early 1990s when the exiled were returning – was to disband the UDF [United Democratic Front, a broad non-racial anti-apartheid coalition of the 1980s]. The transformation of society has essentially been dominated by the external movement, the movement in exile. The discussions about the visions of the sort of society we wanted felt different to any other liberation movement; it felt possible.<br> <br> Being part of those discussions and imagining how our lives would be different was very exciting. We had slightly unrealistic expectations of what this movement could deliver, though. We were confronted with a series of challenges and problems we had not foreseen. The process of a liberation movement suddenly becoming a government was complex and complicated. My involvement in the anti-apartheid movement weighs more heavily than the end scene, though. As an anti-apartheid activist I have gone through what people call 'rainbow nation', the honeymoon period. It was amazing, it was exciting, it was electric – we did not want to see the failing of our plans. It was about a vision of a new society and the ANC was a key vehicle for that but it was not the only vehicle.<br> <br> So I do not feel, which some comrades and activists do, the sense of betrayal. Nowadays I see my work as remaining true to the vision that I believe the ANC shares with all of us. When I go to the voting booth I do feel all the dilemmas pertaining to the ANC, though. Their policies are good. Still, I cannot vote for them. But the alternatives are worse.<br> <br> For instance, I have imbalances towards the reconciliation process. One of the things that happened and that nobody talks about is the pact between big business and the ANC in the late 1980s. Business was one of the first groups to organise trips to the exiled leadership of the ANC in the late 1980s because they knew they would get the ANC on their side so that the ANC does not implement nationalisation. That is one of the legacies of Mandela's presidency [1994 - 1999] which no one wants to talk about. Even though he is an iconic figure he made some mistakes. This is connected to the issue of white capital and the opportunity for white capital to do something different and to somehow make reparations.<br> <br> The second weakness of the process is that it was focused on the big human rights abuses, perpetrators and victims. There was no real hearing or attention paid to the day-to-day damage of apartheid for ordinary black people. Stuff like what it meant for a black woman to have to work in a white person's household and the day-to-day degradation and lack of dignity which come about. I think that would have helped whites understand the impact of apartheid because whites now have the sense that the bad guys were just a few cops and some radical activists, not them. The social engineering of apartheid has never been acknowledged. The white middle class has benefitted most since the post-apartheid era. Our society remains racially polarised. We are even witnessing a heightening of racial tensions in the country. This becomes very obvious in discussions about Malema or Mandela, for example, and from the way the public engages in these issues you can work out whether it is a black or a white opinion. We need to have a discussion about race but without shouting at each other. The ANC could play a central role in this. As a white who has switched sides I have a sharp-sighted perception of the comfort and ease with which white people express outright racist opinion without feeling embarrassed about it any longer. Whenever I am in a homogeneous group of whites the general assumption is that all whites share the same view. Racist statements are made openly here. That was normal under apartheid. In post-apartheid it stopped because they somehow realised that support for their views had faded. Today I find myself being transported back to the apartheid years and again have to make choices and decisions about when I speak out. <br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: I do not feel betrayed by the ANC because I never had an attachment to it. Of course, independently of political camps every black person saw the ANC and Mandela as their messiah. I grew up in the 1980s and I came to political consciousness in the context of what was happening in my immediate community. The 1980s were the heyday of People's Power, there were street committees, defence committees, people's courts and other alternative structures of governance.<br> <br> MEDICO INTERNATIONAL: How old were you then?<br> <br> TSHEPO MADLINGOZI: I was 12 or 13. It was the time I found my identity and I was part of the activists who were not in touch with the ANC. They were attached to the UDF but not led by it. They rejected apartheid authorities and structures and set up alternative governance institutions. That was exciting. The first English word I learnt was 'power'. People used to say 'We are making power'. For me as a young kid this meant rioting, staging uprisings. I grew up in mass movements and with a sense that people can go into action without central political parties taking the decisions. I believe in the power of social movements, of activists and civil society, even if I sometimes do not know what civil society is. The repressive state of South Africa had to be changed and that had a very personal significance to me.<br> <br> My father was a miner. I did not see him for months during the year because of the migrant labour system in terms of which men had to go work in the mines far away from their homes and families. This system is really the most devastating legacy of apartheid. It destroyed entire communities; it created a different manhood, a toxic masculinity. Men had no place at home when coming back from the mines. They had totally lost the bond to their families. It is the same today. As a child I felt evil was there, right in the mines, with the capital, with the people my father had to work for. It was so unfair. My father passed away whilst working in the mines.<br> <br> People who came back from exile in the 1990s were inspiring, doing poetry and singing songs in different languages, telling stories of Fidel, of Russia, of China, of independent Africa. In a way they had become different human beings. But they also came back with a political culture of centralised decision-making based on Marxism-Leninism – unlike the UDF which was based on debates and bottom-up participation. People who had stayed in South Africa and who had contributed to building the struggle were then marginalised. The ANC in exile was also a very secretive movement, so leadership and decision-making was centralised. In 1990 civic movements demobilised and were assimilated by force by the party because the ANC had told them: 'Your job is done'. The fact that the UDF disbanded in February 1991 is very sad and regrettable. In 1992 COSATU [Congress of South African Trade Unions] formally forged an alliance with the ANC. By then it had three million members. They were all absorbed into the ANC. <br> <br> Moreover, South Africa was very unfortunate to have Mandela as its first president. In 1992 and 1993 he entered into agreements with the IMF and the World Bank. Under Mandela the ANC approved liberalism. The false compromises that Mandela made on land, on property ownership, on the economy, on what the state can do and cannot do could not be challenged because of who he was. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the first president of South Africa had not been Mandela but somebody else. What kind of questions could have been asked? What kind of mobilisation could have happened? In 1999 when post-apartheid social movements re-emerged people rose up again for democracy and dignity, led by the same activists who had been disbanded. But Mandela was so clear about his marginalising position which favoured big business. No, I do not feel betrayed by the ANC because they were very clear about this.<br> <br> However, we must acknowledge that it is only in a very few cases in the whole world where there has been true independence. We have not had it in Africa. Why should South Africa be any different from this? Why this exceptionalism? Attaining true post-colonial independence is very difficult. The reality rather is that countries undergo neo-colonialism. In South Africa everything revolves around the ANC and it will do so for a long time, there is no doubt. Therefore two things must happen: To restore confidence there must be a radical shift within the ANC. It is a tragedy that people feel betrayed. Second, we need a sense of substantive uncertainty. In other countries politicians do not know whether they are going to be voted in or not. In South Africa, the ANC knows that it will stay in power at least for another decade.<br> <br> Interview by Anne Jung and Usche Merk, medico international. Editing and Translation by Olivia Klimm.<br> <br> * BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS<br> <br> * Please do not take Pambazuka for granted! Become a <a href="http://www.pambazuka.org/en/friends.php"> Friend of Pambazuka</a> and make a donation NOW to help keep Pambazuka FREE and INDEPENDENT!<br> <br> * Please send comments to <a href="mailto:editor@pambazuka.org">editor[at]pambazuka[dot]org</a> or comment online at <a href="http://www.pambazuka.org/">Pambazuka News</a>.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-6970140271200581172012-09-06T19:45:00.001+02:002012-09-06T19:45:12.958+02:00GALZ Update<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1BsCNUC8Yk/UEjhKULbA_I/AAAAAAAAA5c/Sk4rYn0Vr84/s1600/haciebbh-712958.png"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1BsCNUC8Yk/UEjhKULbA_I/AAAAAAAAA5c/Sk4rYn0Vr84/s320/haciebbh-712958.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5785121288688960498" /></a> <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72"> </pre> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-88321545867281853642012-08-28T11:30:00.001+02:002012-08-28T11:30:20.573+02:00War Resisters' International Executive statement on the harassment of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)<h1>War Resisters' International Executive statement on the harassment of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)</h1> <p>War Resisters' International (WRI), the international network of pacifist organisations with more than 80 affiliates in more than 40 countries, calls for an end to the harassment of our affiliate Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) and to the physical attacks on members of GALZ. Furthermore, WRI strongly condemns the violation of basic human rights of the members of GALZ, such as freedom of association, freedom from arbitrary arrest, and freedom from torture and degrading treatment.</p> <p>On 11 August 2012, GALZ launched its report on violations of LGBTI rights in Zimbabwe with a press conference at the GALZ office in Harare. Following the press conference, GALZ members celebrated the successful launch with a party, which was then raided by police, who detained the 44 members of GALZ present - 31 men and 13 women. All were subjected to beatings and abuse while in detention, but released the following morning without charge.</p> <p>A few days later, the police started a hunt for those detained on 11 August, detaining three who they encountered at home for questioning, and ordering those who they did not find to report to their local police station. While those detained have been released, this hunt again serves as intimidation - a clear attempt to make GALZ's work impossible. Subsequently, on 20 August, police raided the office of GALZ and seized computers and literature.</p> <p>The present harassment of GALZ and its members follows earlier attempts at intimidation. In May 2010, police raided the office of GALZ and arrested two members of staff. A few days later the police also raided the home of the director of GALZ, who was not at home at the time. Both staff who had been arrested were released after a few days, and acquitted a few months later, but items seized during the raid have not yet been returned.</p> <p>Established in 1990, GALZ has been affiliated with WRI since 2001, taking an active role in our activities and currently helping us prepare our 2014 international conference in South Africa provisionally titled "Resisting the continuums of violence". We are fully aware of the extent of Zimbabwe state violence against its own citizens. Whether fuelled by greed, the lust for power or homophobia, these forms of violence are connected. The violation of any human right weakens respect for human rights themselves. Above all, the harassment of human right defenders - such as GALZ, who have prepared a serious report on Zimbabwe's violations of lesbians, gays and trans-sexuals - is a warning to all those who oppose the abuse of state power.<br> </p> <p><br> War Resisters' International Executive, 28 August 2012<br> </p> <p><i><span class="inline inline-none">Howard Clark</span><br> on behalf of the Executive Committee<br> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org/node/20291">http://wri-irg.org/node/20291</a><br> </i></p> <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- Javier Garate at War Resisters' International Nonviolence Programme Worker 5 Caledonian Road - London N1 9DX - Britain tel +44-20-7278 4040 - fax +44-20-7278 0444 Skype warresisters Twitter: @warresistersint email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:javier@wri-irg.org">javier@wri-irg.org</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org">http://wri-irg.org</a> Use encryption! More information at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org/node/11496">http://wri-irg.org/node/11496</a> Support War Resisters' International! Donate today! Online: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm">http://wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm</a> </pre> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-24115463276094974522012-08-24T13:24:00.001+02:002012-08-24T13:24:08.028+02:00GALZ Alert, 24 August 2012<b>GALZ ALERT</b><br> <br> 24 August 2012<br> <br> The Zimbabwe Republic Police on Thursday 23 August 2012 charged The Co Chairperson of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) for running an "unregistered" organisation after a week of high drama in which State security agents twice raided the offices.<br> <br> Detectives at the Law and Order Section at the Harare Central Police Station on Thursday 23 August 2012 charged GALZ that was represented by Martha Tholanah, the organisation's co-chairperson with running an "unregistered" organisation in contravention of Section 6 (iii) of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act. Although the police indicated that they had not found anything pornorgraphic or insulting the Zimbabwean president in the documents, pamphlets and computers, as had been specified in the search warrant, they advised that they would not release the property until the case was over.<br> <br> The police, who alleged that GALZ had commenced operations in Zimbabwe without registering its operations under the PVO Act, released Tholanah, who had since Tuesday been a regular guest at Harare Central Police Station in the company of GALZ Programme Manager, Samuel Matsikure, and her lawyers Dzimbabwe Chimbga, Tonderai Bhatasara, Marufu Mandevere and Jeremiah Bamu from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and advised the GALZ co-chairperson that they would proceed by way of summons. Tholanah and Matsikure were profiled, had fingerprints taken and mug shots taken for police records.<br> <br> GALZ Security reported that, unidentified members of the Zimbabwe National Army on Tuesday 21 August 2012 raided the premises of the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). A soldier, who was dressed in military attire and was in the company of two plain- clothed people visited the GALZ offices on Tuesday afternoon and patrolled the organisation's premises. After failing to find anything of interest to them they went through the caretaker's occurrence book and recorded details of people who had visited the GALZ premises in the past few months, presumably to trail them in future. One of them inadvertently left his mobile phone number, which was recorded by the caretaker.<br> <br> Meanwhile, some of the members who were among the 44 arrested on the 11 th of August and released the following morning without charge report that the police in their localities continue to follow them up and questioning them. // Ends<br> <br> <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- Javier Garate at War Resisters' International Nonviolence Programme Worker 5 Caledonian Road - London N1 9DX - Britain tel +44-20-7278 4040 - fax +44-20-7278 0444 Skype warresisters Twitter: @warresistersint email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:javier@wri-irg.org">javier@wri-irg.org</a> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org">http://wri-irg.org</a> Use encryption! More information at <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org/node/11496">http://wri-irg.org/node/11496</a> Support War Resisters' International! Donate today! Online: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm">http://wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm</a> </pre> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-39734907698737856312012-08-22T18:56:00.001+02:002012-08-22T18:56:06.091+02:00GALZ Statement on the raid of its offices on 20 August 2012<b><big>GALZ Statement on the raid of its offices on 20 August 2012</big></b><br> <br> 21 August 2012<br> <br> GALZ is disturbed by the continued harrassment and the unjust Police raids that are severely compromising its efforts to reach out to it's lesbian,gay,bisexual and<br> transgender community. <br> <br> The Zimbabwe Republic Police has carried out two raids in two weeks, arresting, harrassing and assaulting members of GALZ. The raid of the 20th of August is unjust and signifies the contnued, sustained attempts by the state to clampdown on organisations that are playing an important role of empowering citizens to be more informed to seek and demand justice.<br> <br> The seizure of computers and GALZ publications is another attempt to derail GALZ efforts. It is ironic that some of the machines seized are the same machines that were recently returned to GALZ from the raid of the GALZ offices in May 2010. <br> <br> State sponsored violence and homophobia sways public opinion in a negative way. It also exposes LGBTI people to public violence. State Sponsored Homophobia has the potential to escalate violence and vulnerability of LGBTI people in public and private spheres of their lives.<br> <br> We reiterate our call to the Police to end the unjustified harrasment of GALZ and its community. Every Person in Zimbabwe is entitled to hold opinions and impart ideas without interference. Zimbabweans have a right to assemble freely associate with other persons and to belong to an association that protects their interests.<br> <br> GALZ remains resolute in its quest to represent and protect the rights and interests of all LGBTI citizens despite such unprecedented challenges on its human rights defenders.We continue to work towards contributing to a just society that protects the human rights of all LGBTI people as equal citizens in Zimbabwe.// ENDS<br> <br> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-7014329535966041042012-08-22T18:54:00.001+02:002012-08-22T18:54:04.638+02:00GALZ Statement on the raid of its offices on 20 August 2012--<br>wri-internal-en is War Resisters' International's English language discussion list, open to WRI affiliates and activists. All messages to this list are automatically translated into Spanish, French, and German.<p>Please do only post messages in English to this list. For posts in other languages please use:<p>* wri-internal-es for posts in Spanish<p>* wri-internal-fr for posts in French<p>* wri-internal-de for posts in German<p>For assistance, please contact the WRI office.<p><br>Important note<p>In order to be able to post messages to any of the lists of the wri-internal system, you need to be subscribed to all lists starting with wri-internal-. However, you only need to set your subscription to receive messages for the list of your preferred language - for all other lists you can set your subscription to no mail.<p>This procedure is necessary to make sure that your automatically translated messages are accepted for posting on the other lists.<p><br><b><big>GALZ Statement on the raid of its offices on 20 August 2012</big></b><br> <br> 21 August 2012<br> <br> GALZ is disturbed by the continued harrassment and the unjust Police raids that are severely compromising its efforts to reach out to it's lesbian,gay,bisexual and<br> transgender community. <br> <br> The Zimbabwe Republic Police has carried out two raids in two weeks, arresting, harrassing and assaulting members of GALZ. The raid of the 20th of August is unjust and signifies the contnued, sustained attempts by the state to clampdown on organisations that are playing an important role of empowering citizens to be more informed to seek and demand justice.<br> <br> The seizure of computers and GALZ publications is another attempt to derail GALZ efforts. It is ironic that some of the machines seized are the same machines that were recently returned to GALZ from the raid of the GALZ offices in May 2010. <br> <br> State sponsored violence and homophobia sways public opinion in a negative way. It also exposes LGBTI people to public violence. State Sponsored Homophobia has the potential to escalate violence and vulnerability of LGBTI people in public and private spheres of their lives.<br> <br> We reiterate our call to the Police to end the unjustified harrasment of GALZ and its community. Every Person in Zimbabwe is entitled to hold opinions and impart ideas without interference. Zimbabweans have a right to assemble freely associate with other persons and to belong to an association that protects their interests.<br> <br> GALZ remains resolute in its quest to represent and protect the rights and interests of all LGBTI citizens despite such unprecedented challenges on its human rights defenders.We continue to work towards contributing to a just society that protects the human rights of all LGBTI people as equal citizens in Zimbabwe.// ENDS<br> <br> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-15161889377411312302012-08-20T11:24:00.001+02:002012-08-20T11:24:43.450+02:00FW: [wri-internal-en] [wri-internal-es] HARARE POLICE LAUNCH MANHUNT FOR GALZ MEMBERS--
<br>wri-internal-en is War Resisters' International's English language discussion list, open to WRI affiliates and activists. All messages to this list are automatically translated into Spanish, French, and German.
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<br>Please do only post messages in English to this list. For posts in other languages please use:
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<br>* wri-internal-es for posts in Spanish
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<br>* wri-internal-fr for posts in French
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<br>* wri-internal-de for posts in German
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<br>For assistance, please contact the WRI office.
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<br>Important note
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<br>In order to be able to post messages to any of the lists of the wri-internal system, you need to be subscribed to all lists starting with wri-internal-. However, you only need to set your subscription to receive messages for the list of your preferred language - for all other lists you can set your subscription to no mail.
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<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-72643387815513999672012-08-20T11:22:00.000+02:002012-08-20T11:23:26.334+02:00Force Blair to testify; withdraw invite<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7jz7KDUVDZI/UDICDjDKkiI/AAAAAAAAA5E/JKHGUnM3DUk/s1600/Image%2B%2528135%2529-706335.jpg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7jz7KDUVDZI/UDICDjDKkiI/AAAAAAAAA5E/JKHGUnM3DUk/s320/Image%2B%2528135%2529-706335.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5778683531841147426" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal>Dear All<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Not sure what we can do about it but as you know Blair is expected to attend the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit 30 August. In attached article (forgive bad cutting and pasting but couldn’t find the article on the net) is asking the Seriti Commission to subpoena him to give evidence on Britain’s involvement. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>In M&G Fatima Asmal-Motala “Anger grows over invite to Blair” says that SA Muslim Network has written to the discovery group urging that the invite to Blair be withdrawn saying they do not believe he is fit to lecture on leadership. They are also looking at the possibility of a citizens’ arrest (arrestblair.org gives more info apparently).<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Should Ceasefire be doing something? Anyone want to write a letter to Discovery Invest Leadership? Rob perhaps people you are in touch with on the disinvestment campaign know more about possible protests?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal>Best wishes, Laura<o:p></o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-56641988257549682212012-08-14T18:21:00.001+02:002012-08-14T18:21:31.680+02:0044 GALZ members detained and released without charges<br> <big><b><br> Statement on the arrest and detention of 44 GALZ members</b></big><br> 12 August 2012<br> <br> GALZ deplores the arrest of 44 members of GALZ who had attended the launch of the GALZ Violations Report and a briefing on the Second Draft of the Zimbabwe Constitution on 11 August 2012 at the GALZ offices.<br> <br> Four police officers attempted to gain entry into the premises before calling for back up where about fifteen riot squad members descended on the office and effected arrest.Thirty one men and thirteen women members were detained overnight at Harare Central Police Station on 11 August 2012. Police, some of them visibly drunk, assaulted most of the members using baton sticks, open hands and clenched fists before detaining them without charge.<br> <br> Such use of force is in direct contradiction to the Global Political Agreement. Denying Zimbabweans the right to participate in processes that compliment National efforts is an infringement of the right to freedom of assembly and association.<br> <br> It is the constitutional obligation of state agencies to uphold all the rights of citizens under the Declaration of Rights. GALZ calls on the state to immediately refrain from the use of any form of organised violence and to refrain from utilising violence of any sort in the pursuit of their political interests.<br> <br> GALZ does not condone violence and we are not a threat. Those who cause violence are a threat to public safety and security and we ask that they stay away from our premises.<br> <br> <br> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.galz.co.zw/">http://www.galz.co.zw/</a><br> <br> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-32491313320445825682012-08-05T15:38:00.001+02:002012-08-05T15:38:33.406+02:00Arms to Rwanda?<div class=Section1> <div> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> </div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <h1>SA must place arms embargo on Rwanda - David Maynier<o:p></o:p></h1> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:#999999'>David Maynier <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:#999999'>02 August 2012 <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black'>(Source: Politicsweb described as a website focused on the news and politics of Southern Africa. It aims to provide its readers with breaking news, informed comment and opinion, and easy access to key online resources. It also intends to provide a forum for reasoned debate, and so welcomes comments and contributions)</span><span style='font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:#999999'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:#333366'>DA MP says govt must act over revelations in UN report <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>South Africa must place an immediate arms embargo on Rwanda</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), must stop all conventional arms sales to Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The <i>United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo </i>recently published a report that found evidence of arms embargo and sanctions regime violations by Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The report found violations by Rwanda included the provision of material and financial support to armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in contravention of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1807 (2008).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The arms embargo and sanctions regime violations related principally to an armed group called M23 which is reportedly responsible for the worst outbreak of violence in several years in the DRC.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Specifically, arms embargo and sanctions regime violations by Rwanda were found to include the "provision of weapons and ammunition to M23" as well as "direct Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) interventions into Congolese territory to reinforce M23".<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The fact that Rwanda has been found to be providing weapons and ammunition to M23 should be of concern because South Africa exported more than R100 million worth of conventional arms to Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>We do not know what types of conventional arms were exported to Rwanda. But we do know what categories of conventional arms were exported to Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>South Africa exported R103.4 million worth of conventional arms to Rwanda between 2003 and 2012 including:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>R72.6 million worth of "Category A" conventional arms which are defined as <i>"sensitive conventional implements of war that could cause heavy personnel casualties and major damage or destruction"</i>; and <o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>R23.6 million worth of "Category C" conventional arms which are defined as <i>"support equipment usually employed in the direct support of combat operations that have no inherent capability to kill or destruct"</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></li> </ul> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Moreover, between 1996 and 2006 at least 38 Armoured Personnel Carriers were exported to Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The last reported consignment of conventional arms exported from South Africa to Rwanda took place in early 2012 and comprised of R2.4 million worth of "Category C" conventional arms.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The <i>United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo</i> report did not find any evidence that conventional weapons, exported from South Africa, found their way to M23 or were being used by the RDF to support M23.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>However, we cannot be sure that conventional weapons, exported from South Africa, have not found their way to M23 or are not being used by the RDF to support M23. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Moreover, we cannot be sure that conventional weapons, exported from South Africa, may not find their way to M23 or may not be used by the RDF to support M23 in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The Rwandan government has contested the findings in the report of the <i>United Nations Group of Experts</i>. However, the findings of the report have been taken very seriously by the international community and have had major repercussions for Rwanda. The United States, for example, immediately froze US$200 000 of military aid to Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>We cannot take the risk that conventional arms, exported from South Africa, may be used by M23 or the RDF to destabilize the DRC.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>I will, therefore, write to NCACC chairperson Jeff Radebe requesting that: <o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul type=disc> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>All conventional arms sales from South Africa to Rwanda be stopped immediately; <o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>All conventional arms, from countries other than South Africa, which may be transported through South Africa , be stopped immediately; and <o:p></o:p></span></li> <li class=MsoNormal style='color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>That the NCACC's inspectorate conducts an investigation in order to verify whether the conditions of the export permits and/or end-user certificates of conventional arms sold by South Africa have been complied with by Rwanda. <o:p></o:p></span></li> </ul> <p><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Conventional arms exports from South African to Rwanda <br> 2003 - 2012</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Table 1: Conventional Arms Exports from South Africa to Rwanda between 2003 and 2012</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Category</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Value</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>A<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> R72 599 821<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>B<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> -<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>C<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> R23 634 852<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>D<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> R1 854 788<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>E<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> -<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>G<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> R5 356 643.00<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Total</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> R103 446 104</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Source: NCACC Annual/Quarterly Reports between 2003 and 2012</span></i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Table 2: Definitions of categories of conventional arms used in NCACC annual reports between 2003 and 2012 </span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%'> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Category</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> Definition</span></b><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> A<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...sensitive major conventional implements of war that could cause heavy personnel casualties and/or destruction to materiel, structures, objects and facilities."<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> B<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...all types of handheld and portable assault weapons of a caliber smaller than 12.7mm."<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> C<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...all support equipment usually employed in the direct support of combat operations that have no inherent capability to kill or destruct." <o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> D<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...all purposely designed de-mining, mine clearing and mine detection equipment and all non-lethal pyrotechnical and riot control products."<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> E<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...all armaments and related products that are not allowed to be sold."<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> G<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> <td style='padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm'> <p align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'> "...all purposely built armaments manufacturing equipment, plants, facilities and test ranges for the manufacture, development, maintenance, test, upgrade and refurbishment of armaments products."<o:p></o:p></span></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Source: NCACC briefing to Joint Standing Committee on Defence on 15 March 2012</span></i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, August 2 2012</span></i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-62941145196487981352012-08-03T11:38:00.001+02:002012-08-03T11:38:33.623+02:00Women's month, story and editorial<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8_Rgn_Rj2c/UBucG_KaymI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/HCOmsfMH1CA/s1600/Editorial%2BWomen%2527s%2Bmonth-713624.jpeg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r8_Rgn_Rj2c/UBucG_KaymI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/HCOmsfMH1CA/s320/Editorial%2BWomen%2527s%2Bmonth-713624.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772378991253703266" /></a></p><div class=Section1> <p class=timestamp style='background:white'>SA Time: 03 August 2012 11:31:24 AM <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1jWDLmHy0Zg/UBucHMk6x1I/AAAAAAAAA4c/HZYNv7vbloo/s1600/image001-716823.gif"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1jWDLmHy0Zg/UBucHMk6x1I/AAAAAAAAA4c/HZYNv7vbloo/s320/image001-716823.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772378994854512466" /></a></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h1 style='margin-bottom:15.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:21.0pt; color:black'>Lesbian says she was attacked over kiss<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <p class=byline style='background:white'>July 30 2012 at 09:11am <br> By Kristen van Schie <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=commentcalltoaction style='background:white'><a href="http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/lesbian-says-she-was-attacked-over-kiss-1.1351729#comments_start"><b><span style='color:#FF6600;text-decoration:none'>Comment on this story</span></b></a><o:p></o:p></p> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <hr size=1 width="100%" align=center> </span></div> <p class=MsoNormal style='background:#F4F4F4'><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecKScccFDws/UBucHzmSIzI/AAAAAAAAA4o/HSVEMzA6iCU/s1600/image002-718815.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecKScccFDws/UBucHzmSIzI/AAAAAAAAA4o/HSVEMzA6iCU/s320/image002-718815.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5772379005329220402" /></a></span><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=captionscreditarticle style='background:#F4F4F4'>INLSA<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=captions style='background:#F4F4F4'>Khanyisa Ndoda, left, and Bonisiwe Mtshali talk of their harrowing ordeal after being attacked by security guards at the Carlton Centre in Joburg. Picture: Antoine de Ras<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>A local lesbian is standing her ground after allegedly being assaulted by a group of security guards at the Carlton Centre, allegedly because of her sexual orientation. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>The attack comes after a Kuruman man was beheaded last month for being gay and at a time when crimes against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community are increasing. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Bonisiwe Mtshali, 29, who works at the Carlton Centre in the Joburg CBD, was beaten to the point of unconsciousness after kissing her girlfriend goodbye on June 13. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“I accompany her to work every morning,” said Khanyisa Ndoda, 21. “And every morning I give her a goodbye kiss. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“But as we kissed that day, we heard these guys saying ‘Some people will never reach heaven’ and shouting ‘Voertsek’.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Mtshali confronted the three men, who were security guards from Hlanganani Protection Services, the contracted security provider of the Carlton Centre. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“I asked ‘What did we do wrong? Why are you talking to us like that?” she said. “Then they started pulling my hair and beating me.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>For the minutes that followed she was kicked, hit and pushed to the ground. Ndoda watched horrified: “I was traumatised, I didn’t know what to do.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Though the shopping centre was crowded, nobody stepped in to stop the assault. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“Then they took her (Mtshali) outside, onto the pavement,” alleged Ndoda. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“One of the guys said they couldn’t do everything they wanted to do inside the mall because there were cameras.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>She pleaded for her girlfriend to be left alone, saying that if they had done something wrong, they just be detained or fined. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>The couple were taken to the security offices. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“They were so rude,” said Ndoda. “They said (Mtshali) acted like she was a man, that the mall was not the place to kiss my girlfriend, that we should get a room.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>As the security guards berated the pair - “two girls kissing was public indecency”, they were allegedly told, “like urinating in the street” - Mtshali collapsed and began foaming at the mouth. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>The guards refused to let Ndoda or their friends take her to hospital and it was allegedly an hour before they called an ambulance. Mtshali regained consciousness three hours later. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>When they went to the Johannesburg Central police station, <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“the police advised us to drop the charges,” said Ndoda, as “it wasn’t a big case and would be expensive”. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>The Star was unable to contact anybody at Hlanganani willing to comment. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Meanwhile, Mtshali has been threatened with counter-charges by Hlanganani - she scratched one of the men while defending herself. But she’s sticking to her guns. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Two of her alleged attackers will appear in court next week. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>LGBTI rights group Forum for the Empowerment of Women (Few) is helping Mtshali with her legal fees - but says it’s just one attack in a rising trend. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“In the past few months there have been about eight to 10 murders across the country,” said Few programmes co-ordinator Phindi Malaza. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>A government task team was created last year to investigate hate crimes against LGBTI individuals, but with no results. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Two NGOs have since pulled out of the team because of a lack of progress. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>In May, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa called for the removal of LGBTI rights from the constitution and for the Civil Union Act, which legalised same-sex marriages, to be scrapped. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Malaza thinks the recent attacks are directly linked to this. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>“The government really isn’t doing much,” said Malaza. “They’re keeping quiet.” <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>Ndoda saw the attack as their chance to act. “At the end of the day, our voices must be heard. We must be respected for who we are,” she said. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'><strong><span style='font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"'>Some attacks against the lesbian community:</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>2012: Hendrietta Thapelo Morifi is found dead in her Limpopo home, stabbed in the neck with a fork, her throat slit. In the same month, Soweto resident Sanna Supa and Khayelitsha resident Phumeza Nkolonzi are shot and killed. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>2011: Noxolo Nogwaza, member of gay rights group Ekurhuleni Pride Organising Committee, is stoned to death in Kwa-Thema, Springs. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>2008: Banyana Banyana footballer Eudy Simelane is gang-raped, beaten and stabbed 25 times in Kwa-Thema. One of her attackers is serving 32 years in jail. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>2007: Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa are raped, tortured and killed in Soweto. The case has been closed. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=arcticletext style='background:white'>2006: Zoliswa Nkonyana is murdered by a mob of men in Khayelitsha. Nine men are arrested and charged. The trial was postponed more than 40 times before judgment last October. - The Star<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-41932776559719357542012-08-03T10:50:00.001+02:002012-08-03T10:50:13.008+02:00Worldwide International Day of Non-Violence<div class=Section1> <p class=abstract><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#323232'>The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Non-Violence is a global observance that promotes non-violence through education and public awareness. It is annually held on October 2 to coincide with renowned Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5759780037828421731.post-14670974283512831082012-07-30T23:59:00.001+02:002012-07-30T23:59:16.724+02:00Matt Meyer InquiriesHi Jeremy,
<br>
<br>A few things:
<br>
<br>a. Please do pass along best wishes to Nozi in regards to her mom. Hopefully you've found things a bit better once you arrived in Durban.
<br>
<br>b. Hopefully you've heard by now that your cell phone was found and given to Guni and Dola, who are driving in to Durban tomorrow. They will be at the opening of the Gandhi Development Trust conference tomorrow evening. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help facilitate the phone's return to you.
<br>
<br>c. Please do send me ASAP the press release worked on today. I think it can appear in a Waging Nonviolence article this week.
<br>
<br>d. Please also send me the information on the sites, and the pass-words you mentioned earlier.
<br>
<br>Looking forward to seeing you again in Cape Town,
<br>
<br>MattMAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10084222407146272533noreply@blogger.com0