YCL to protest in Swaziland and Zimbabwe Embassies

Tuesday, 22 March 2005

The Young Communist League (YCL) of South Africa will protest on the eve of the Zimbabwean Parliamentary Elections at the Swaziland and Zimbabwean Embassies.

We have already started mobilising young people in Pretoria, students and workers to join us in the March, and hope that the youth will come in their numbers.

The YCL will present a memorandum of demands to the representatives of the countries government, and pursue further engagement with the governments.

We will present the following demands with regards to the Zimbabwean situation:

• The immediate postponement of elections in Zimbabwe and the creation of conditions for such elections were all would have the rights of Freedom of Association.
• An end to political violence orchestrated by the government funded youth?militia.
• The institution of an Independent Electoral Commission to run Elections.
• The immediate auditing of the Voters Roll and the removal of ?Ghost Voters?.
• Ensuring that the SADC protocols are instituted.
• The release of young people who have been arrested on the ground of political expression and involvement.

The YCL believes that observation and determination of whether the elections will be free and fair cannot be based on the few weeks towards the elections, and thus, reports that exclude the many days before the elections cannot be relied upon.

The YCL is disturbed by reports that some within the South African Observer Mission who, before the elections have started, declared the elections in Zimbabwe free and fair.

We believe that through objectivity members of the Observers Mission will have their eyes opened by the gruesome realities in that country and give fair observations.

At the Swaziland embassy, we will make the following demands:

• The abolition of the Tinkundla system and its replacement with a democratically elected parliament.
• The immediate release of political prisoners.
• The removal of banning orders over members of SWAYOCO and PUDEMO.
• The institution of freedom of speech and political freedom.

We call on the SADC member states to exclude the Swaziland monarchy from the Regional body, and introduce sanctions on King Mswati III.

The details of the March are as follows:

Date: 30 March 2005
Time: 13h00-15h00
Venue: The March will start at the Union Buildings, church str and proceed to Swaziland and then Zimbabwen Embassy.

The YCL will be joined in the march by SASCO, COSAS, COSATU and its affiliates, SACP (All in the Pretoria Region) and the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) Gauteng Province.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), a South African civil society movement acting in solidarity with the people of Swaziland, will also join us.

Issued by YCL National Office
Contact: Buti Manamela
YCL National Secretary
Cell: 082 567 3557
Tel: 011 339 3622
Fax: 011 339 4244
Email: buti@ycl.org.za