Push for Zimbabwe crisis to top Sadc People's Summit agenda

Human rights groups participating at this year's Sadc People's Summit, which begins in Manzini, Swaziland, today, are pushing for the discussion of Zimbabwe's human rights abuses including cases of police brutality.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) said it would host a discussion on issues of social media and cyber activism that have seen people movements using the platform to mobilise people to protest against the declining economic and political environment.

"ZimRights and other organisations from Zimbabwe will be pushing for recognition and need for solutions to the Zimbabwean crisis after a winter of protests over socio-economic justice, which the authorities answered to with police brutality and further human rights abuses," ZimRights said in a statement.

"In particular, ZimRights will host a discussion on the question of social media, cyber activism and citizen mobilisation for social justice that is expected to closely look at the recent social upheavals back home."

Other issues expected to be discussed during the Sadc People's Summit are the poor human rights record in the host country Swaziland.

"Equally to grab attention, as His Majesty King Mswati III of Swaziland prepares to ascend to the rotating Sadc chair for a one-year term until August 2017, will be the host country's own bad human rights record and its severely limited democratic culture as the only absolute monarchy in Southern Africa," the human rights group said.

Tomorrow, during the summit, delegates are expected to march at Bosco Hall in Manzini with the final communiqué to be handed in to the Sadc Heads of State and Government on Friday.

The Sadc People's Summit will focus on the plight of the less-privileged in the region. It is an annual convention of social justice movements from Southern Africa.

Issues raised by the social movements from in-country meetings and the People's Summit will be brought to the attention of the 36th Sadc Head of States and Government Summit.

Various organisations that will attend the People's Summit include women's rights movements, climate change and environmental activists, agricultural justice activists, HIV and Aids awareness activists, representatives of people living with disabilities and human rights groupings, among others, who will officially present a communiqué to the Heads of State and Government Summit.