The current conjuncture in southern Africa in the political, economical, social, cultural and environmental arenas, shows that the region is progressively being affected, in different forms, by the advance of three devils facing humanity today: capitalism, neo-colonialism and patriarchy.
2016 SADC Peoples’ Summit
19 Aug 2016
The Manzini Peoples’ Declaration
We, the more than two thousands representatives of the people of southern Africa, members and affiliates of various Social Movements, Trade Unions, Economic Justice, Human Rights, and Environmental Networks, Feminists, Women and Youth collectives, Non-Governmental Organisations, individual activists, students and academics, gathered in Manzini, Swaziland, from August 16 to 19 for the SADC Peoples’ Summit, held under the theme: “A Peoples’ driven SADC committed to total liberation for all”. We gathered in this land of stunning and courageous people to dialogue and envision a better SADC for all, by exchanging views, struggles, experiences, dreams and love.
The current conjuncture in southern Africa in the political, economical, social, cultural and environmental arenas, shows that the region is progressively being affected, in different forms, by the advance of three devils facing humanity today: capitalism, neo-colonialism and patriarchy.
The region is faced by ongoing and deepening multi-crisis as a consequence of neoliberal economic policies. Transnational Corporations (TNCs) capture and control of peoples’ means of production such as land, water, seeds, forests and seas is escalating with the complicity of political and government elites. We see greater levels of poverty and unemployment as a result of the inappropriate development models that are based on extractivism, exploitation of people and violation of Human Rights.
Public space is progressively closing in all SADC countries meanwhile the actions and work of social movements and activists are being criminalized.
A People´s Tribunal on Transnational Corporations took place at this Peoples’ Summit. The Tribunal started its work with the hearing of a series of cases from southern Africa, where the interventions of extractive TNCs are gravely violating the fundamental rights of the communities, with the alliance of governments, which ensure full impunity for corporations. The independent analysis and judgment of the Tribunal will make visible the atrocities caused by corporations in the region.
After 4 days of discussions at the Manzini Peoples´ Summit, the following are our deliberations, recommendations and demands:
Democracy and Good Governance
We have identified five countries that need to be urgently dealt with:
Lesotho
• SADC must force Lesotho to implement the SADC Phumaphi commission of inquiry resolution in solving the Lesotho crisis;
• The detained soldiers of Lesotho must be released from maximum prison;
• SADC to ensure that no one is above the law in Lesotho and strengthen democracy, rule of law and media pluralism;
• Wives of the detained soldiers in Lesotho with the assistance of other countries should start campaign demanding the release of the detained soldiers.
Mozambique
• We call for an immediate end of war in Central and Northern Mozambique;
• President Nyusi must use his constitutional power to stop military operations and meet RENAMO´s leader urgently in order to reach a perennial peace agreement;
• Stop the assassination and kidnapping of activists, academics and members of the opposition.
Swaziland
• The country must be democratized by unbanning political parties;
• King Mswati must respect the rule of law and human rights as he assumes chairpersonship of the SADC, starting by allowing political parties in Swaziland.
Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe government must respect human rights and allow democracy to flourish;
• The SADC must ensure that police brutality against innocent civilians, especially women and children, comes to an end;
• SADC must respond to and investigate the mysterious disappearance of political activists;
• SADC countries must tell the Zimbabwean government to dissolve establishment 64, Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 and general laws Amendment 64 of 2016.
Mauritius
• We support the demand of Mauritius’ Social Movements for complete decolonization of the country and the closure of the United States´ military base on Diego Garcia;
• We call on the SADC heads of States to support the coming initiative to table a resolution at the upcoming UN general assembly on this issue.
Industrialization and Employment
• Governments must provide farming spaces in communities;
• Public policies must advance pro-poor agenda;
• Governments must nationalize all mines in order to create jobs. The domestication of Africa Mining Vision is need so that African can benefit.
Education
Corporate power is progressively capturing formal education institutions and curriculums to advance market and profit-based agenda. We propose a new and counter-hegemonic approach to address an alternative form of popular education for radical and emancipatory social and political change. Examples of the Popular University of Social Movements (UPMS) are to be promoted in order to reverse the current trend where the elitist and exclusionary formal education facilitates the spread of oppression and progress of capitalism.
We therefore demand:
• Free, quality, public and peoples’ driven education with innovative and emancipatory learning methodologies.
Women, Feminism and Gender
• SADC countries must protect women from sexual abuse, especially in Swaziland and Lesotho;
• Full participation of women in decision making must be ensured;
• Women should be allowed to own land in all SADC countries;
• Government should channel resources toward businesses that can empower women;
• No law or culture should be adhered to if it abuses or looks down upon women;
• Governments must provide protective measures and sanitary towels must be supplied to girls and women monthly for free;
• Governments must implement the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture, allocating half of the budget to women small scale farmers.
Natural Disasters
• Governments should intervene and provide water and farming inputs to mitigate the droughts in all areas affected by this disaster.
• Governments must ensure that an effective early-warning system is put into place to mitigate the effects of natural disasters – such as droughts.
• A regional campaign to demand SADC governments to prioritize and address drought-affected areas is needed.
Youth and Students
We note that effective and efficient Natural Resource governance and management is key to sustainable development financing in Africa. We therefore call SADC governments to:
• Domesticate the Africa Mining Vision to ensure the promotion of:
- Value addition to our natural resources;
- Local content development, and
- Policy reforms that plug Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs)
• Commit to domestic resource mobilization: No to conditional aid and debt that plunder resources of future generations!
The continued deterioration in democracy and good governance in SADC has marginalized youth from regional development process. We therefore call SADC governments to:
• Respect principles of democracy and good governance;
• Implement political governance policies reformation to allow youths’ participation in governance systems (youth quota system);
• Ensure transparency and accountability, Rule of Law, Human rights and Free and fair elections;
• Ensure young people are included in the decision making process and participate in all relevant spaces in SADC;
• Strengthen economical empowerment of the SADC youth;
• Equally promote youth interest and opportunities across the region;
• SADC must facilitate the skill and talent development of young people;
• A policy in relation to contracts, where a significant percentage goes to young entrepreneurs
Global trade structures and injustice
• Governments should ensure a safer and conducive trading environment for informal business.
• SADC must exit from the western economy
• We commit ourselves to campaign against unfair and oppressive trade agreements, to stop neoliberal policies promoted by the World Trade Organization.
• We demand a Stop to corporate impunity
Health
• Every person living with HIV should have access to viral load testing every 6 months and all health facilities must have viral loading machines;
• There should be free TB screening and X-ray for people living with HIV;
• Mosquito nets should be circulated to all health centres and be freely accessible;
• Scale up pediatric HIV treatment in all countries in the SADC region;
• Formalize and create conditions for payment for care workers;
• Governments must increase access to quality health care and training institutions;
• Decrease the doctor-patient ratio;
• Education about health issues must be intensified.
Agriculture
• Small-scale producers, fishers and farmers need a voice in developing agricultural and environmental policies.
• We demand a free circulation of peoples´ seeds across the region and the right of production, saving and sharing of native seeds among people.
Globalize the Struggle, Globalize Hope!
Nothing about us, without us!
SADC for the people!
Manzini, 19 August 2016
Related posts:
- Popular University of Social Movements gathers in Harare: social movements and academics to dialogue on the state of land, seeds and food in SADC
- Popular University of Social Movements Workshop in Zimbabwe – Final Statement
- UPMS Workshop Harare Zimbabwe 2016 – Walter Chambati – Statement
- UPMS Workshop Harare Zimbabwe 2016 – Elizabeth Mpofu – Statement
- UPMS Workshop Harare Zimbabwe 2016 – Boaventura de Sousa Santos – Statement
