News / Regional
Kalanga slur: CSOs threaten to sue Mugabe
05 May 2015 at 09:47hrs | Views
Thirty four civil society organisations (CSOs) in Bulawayo yesterday threatened court action and mass protests against President Robert Mugabe following his disparaging and tribal remarks against Kalanga last week.
The rights activists said Mugabe violated the country's Constitution, the Sadc and African Union charters and called on respective bodies to reprimand the 91 year old leader and disassociate themselves from the President's statements.
In a joint statement, the CSOs, consisting of pressure groups, residents' associations, lawyers for human rights and others, said government should disassociate itself from Mugabe's tribal statements.
"The President's statement was a direct affront to section 56 (3) of the Zimbabwe Constitution under the Bill of Rights (Chapter 4) that provides for non-discrimination, unfair treatment on such grounds as tribe, ethnic or social origin, culture or economic status.The statements also negate section 90 (2) which outlines one of the duties of the President as to promote unity and peace in the country for the benefit and well-being of the people of Zimbabwe . . . ," Bulawayo Agenda executive director Mmeli Dube, who read out the statement, said.
"We, the undersigned organisations, urge the President to personally and unequivocally retract the blatantly discriminatory, derogatory, divisive, demeaning and unwarranted statement and apologise to the Kalanga people in particular and people of Matabeleland in general without delay . . . "
"We thus call upon Sadc to reprimand its chairperson and disassociate itself from his statements that promote discrimination and violence against a people.
We then call upon the African Union to disassociate itself from the statement from its chairperson and ensure that the AU Charter on Human and People's Rights, and Charter on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which Zimbabwe has ratified are respected and implemented by the chairperson and member states."
The rights activists said Mugabe violated the country's Constitution, the Sadc and African Union charters and called on respective bodies to reprimand the 91 year old leader and disassociate themselves from the President's statements.
In a joint statement, the CSOs, consisting of pressure groups, residents' associations, lawyers for human rights and others, said government should disassociate itself from Mugabe's tribal statements.
"The President's statement was a direct affront to section 56 (3) of the Zimbabwe Constitution under the Bill of Rights (Chapter 4) that provides for non-discrimination, unfair treatment on such grounds as tribe, ethnic or social origin, culture or economic status.The statements also negate section 90 (2) which outlines one of the duties of the President as to promote unity and peace in the country for the benefit and well-being of the people of Zimbabwe . . . ," Bulawayo Agenda executive director Mmeli Dube, who read out the statement, said.
"We, the undersigned organisations, urge the President to personally and unequivocally retract the blatantly discriminatory, derogatory, divisive, demeaning and unwarranted statement and apologise to the Kalanga people in particular and people of Matabeleland in general without delay . . . "
"We thus call upon Sadc to reprimand its chairperson and disassociate itself from his statements that promote discrimination and violence against a people.
We then call upon the African Union to disassociate itself from the statement from its chairperson and ensure that the AU Charter on Human and People's Rights, and Charter on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which Zimbabwe has ratified are respected and implemented by the chairperson and member states."
Source - newsday
