[Marxism] Southern African Social Forum banned in Swaziland

[glparramatta <glparramatta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Norman Tjombe director legal assistance centre www.lac.org.na


From: Norman Tjombe [mailto:ntjombe@xxxxxxxxxx] Sent: 14 October 2008 
02:42 PM Subject: urgent: LAC on Swaziland banning civil society activities

Press release:

The Legal Assistance Centre has leant with deep sadness and 
disappointment of the attempts by the Swaziland Government to ban the 
taking place of the Southern Africa Social Forum. The Forum was to meet 
in Manzini, Swaziland on the 16-18th October, 2008, but the Prime 
Minister of Swaziland, in a press release of this morning, banned the 
meeting.

The Swazi Government claimed that the meeting of civil society and human 
rights activists will not be in the national interest and will 
compromise peace, security and stability of the Kingdom. If the meeting 
will continue, the organisers and those attending the meeting risks 
being arrested. The Southern African Social Forum meets every year in a 
Southern African country and brings together several hundred activists 
to discuss pertinent social justice matters affecting the region and 
beyond.

The LAC views the illegal actions of the Swaziland Government as a 
blatant violation of the rights of people to association, speech and to 
participate in democracy, under both the Swaziland Constitution and 
international law, such as the SADC Treaties, to which Swaziland is a 
signatory. We are indeed concerned of the gradual erosion of established 
standards of human rights in not only in Swaziland, but also in 
countries such as Zimbabwe.

The 2005 Southern African Social Forum took place in Harare, Zimbabwe. 
It had the largest participation so far with around 4,000 people taking 
part. Participants came from all Southern African countries, including 
Namibia.

At the Zimbabwe meeting, the event organisers had been put under 
pressure from the Zimbabwean police who warned speakers that any 
criticism of Robert Mugabe would lead to the event being closed down. 
But by the end of the meeting, buoyed by the size of the participation, 
speakers were denouncing Mugabe. Half of the watching police were 
nodding along in agreement with the statements at the Social Forum in 
Harare. It is obvious that the Swaziland Government is afraid of 
something similar!


NORMAN TJOMBE

DIRECTOR

LEGAL ASSISTANCE CENTRE







____________________

Norman Tjombe

director

legal assistance centre

p o box 604

4 körner street

windhoek

namibia



skype: normanlalatjombe



tel: +264    61 223356

cell: +264 811 223356

fax: +264 61   234953 (office)

fax: +27  865548506 (fax-to-email) www.lac.org.na


From: Bongani Masuku [mailto:bongani@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Dear Cdes, following the banning of the Southern African Social Forum in 
Swaziland as indicated in the attachment herein from the Swazi Prime 
Ministers office, be alerted that a PICKET IS TAKING PLACE AT 
Braamfontein centre, Jorissen street, starting at 13h00 today to 
challenge this. The comrades in Swaziland are still challenging this act 
in court, to further expose the system. Some of our comrades were 
already inside Swaziland, including the President of the Communication 
Workers Union, Cde Joe Chauke, who had to come back after getting the 
news while already there, what an inconvenience!



As indicated, a delegation from the Swazi trade union movement is around 
and will be giving a concrete update soon, but also join the picket.



Comradely,



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