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Zimbabwe: African Civil Groups Intensify Campaign to Pressure Mugabe
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SW Radio Africa (London)
4 July 2008
Posted to the web 5 July 2008
Tererai Karimakwenda
As condemnation of the Mugabe regime intensifies in the aftermath of his sham one-man presidential election, civil society groups on the continent are uniting to express their solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe. The continuing campaign of violence against MDC officials and supporters has angered many African civil organisations, and they are now turning their words of support into action, to increase pressure for change.
The first of these actions is a demonstration and border blockade organised by South Africa's Trade Union federation, COSATU, to protest against the 'illegitimate government headed by Robert Mugabe'. They are calling for a total isolation of Mugabe and his government, by workers in South Africa, SADC, Africa and the world over. This entails unions around the world making sure that Mugabe and his cronies receive no service anywhere they go, including at airports, restaurants, shops, etc. The border blockade is on Saturday at Beit Bridge.
CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, has united with Amnesty International and the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), and they will next week launch a Pan-African Campaign of Solidarity for Zimbabwe, which will consist of protest events continent-wide.
Nastasya Tay from CIVICUS said the launch is on Saturday July 12, when there will be a range of activities across the African continent organised by local civil groups. These will include vigils outside Zimbabwean embassies and government buildings, publishing articles or letters on the violations of human rights in Zimbabwe, getting people to sign petitions and lobbying the African Union, SADC and individual countries to take action.
Tay said; "We obviously want to show our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe but at the same time we are hoping that the variety of voices on the issue will influence African leaders to take further action, which will actually then have a concrete impact on the ground."
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She explained that the key is participation, as the CIVICUS mission statement calls for. Critical voices and actions against the Mugabe regime have been coming mostly from Europe and America, and it is time that African voices were heard, all over the continent
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