Quote of the week
Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others (CCT8/99) [1999] ZACC 3
Press conference on sexual terror in Zimbabwe
Media Alert
You are invited to a press conference on the launch of a report by the advocacy organization AIDS-Free World on Thursday, 10 December, International Human Rights Day.
“Electing to Rape: Sexual Terror in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe”:
n is based on sworn affidavits from women raped by ruling party militias before, during and after Zimbabwe’s 2008 presidential elections;
n reveals a conclusive pattern of orchestrated sexual violence and torture;
n describes the targeting of women associated with the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change, and
n leaves no question that Robert Mugabe’s administration has committed crimes against humanity.
Four expert speakers will describe the report’s contents, including details and analysis of the testimony provided by survivors, and possible legal strategies for overcoming Zimbabwe’s culture of impunity.
Stephen Lewis, Co-Director, AIDS-Free World (and former UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa);
Beatrice Mtetwa, human rights lawyer and President of the Law Society of Zimbabwe;
Elinor Sisulu, award-winning author, political analyst and human rights activist;
Betsy Apple, Legal Director and General Counsel, AIDS-Free World.
Moderator: Shonali Shome, Legal and Gender Advisor, AIDS-Free World
Press Conference Details:
Date: Thursday, 10 December 2009
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Venue: The Gordon Institute of Business Science
Street address: 26 Melville Road, Illovo, Johannesburg
Media interviews can be arranged at the close of the press conference.
Please RSVP to FD South Africa by Tuesday, 8 December 2009.
Sandra Sampayo sandra.sampayo@fd.com 021 487 9000 / 079 167 6863
Dani Cohen dani.cohen@fd.com 021 487 9000 / 082 897 0443
