Subscribe for Free!

Donate to Pambazuka News!

Pambazuka News is produced by a pan-African community of some 2,600 citizens and organisations - academics, policy makers, social activists, women's organisations, civil society organisations, writers, artists, poets, bloggers, and commentators who together produce insightful, sharp and thoughtful analyses and make it one of the largest and most innovative and influential web forums for social justice in Africa.

Latest titles from Pambazuka Press

From Citizen to Refugee

Uganda Asians come to Britain
Mahmood Mamdani
'On the face of it, life in the camp presented a sharp and favourable contrast to the open terror of living in Uganda. But it was the Kensington camp, and not Amin's Uganda, which was my first experience of what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society.' Mahmood Mamdani
Buy now

African Awakening

The Emerging Revolutions
The tumultuous uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have seized the attention of media but what about the rest of Africa? With incisive contributions from across the continent, "African Awakening" presents the 2011 uprisings in their African context.
Buy now

Demystifying Aid

Yash Tandon

This pamphlet from Pambazuka Press shows that 'development aid' is not what it purports to be - the effects of actions of well-meaning allies in the North who support aid to Africa for reasons of ethics or solidarity are, unfortunately, the opposite of their good intentions.
Buy now

To Cook a Continent

Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa
Nnimmo Bassey
Exploiting Africa's resources has delivered huge profits to the North and huge damage to Africa's environment and economies. Overcoming the crises of environment and climate change means also addressing corporate profiteering and resource extraction.
Buy now

Earth Grab

Geopiracy, the New Biomassters and Capturing Climate Genes
Diana Bronson, Hope Shand, Jim Thomas, Kathy Jo Wetter
As greedy eyes focus on the global South's resources this book 'pulls back the curtain on disturbing technological and corporate trends that are already reshaping our world and that will become crucial battlegrounds for civil society in the years ahead.
Buy now

Pambazuka News Broadcasts

Pambazuka broadcasts feature audio and video content with cutting edge commentary and debate from social justice movements across the continent.

See the list of episodes.

AU MONITOR

This site has been established by Fahamu to provide regular feedback to African civil society organisations on what is happening with the African Union.

Perspectives on Emerging Powers in Africa: December 2011 newsletter

Deborah Brautigam provides an overview and description of China's development finance to Africa. "Looking at the nature of Chinese development aid - and non-aid - to Africa provides insights into China's strategic approach to outward investment and economic diplomacy, even if exact figures and strategies are not easily ascertained", she states as she describes China's provision of grants, zero-interest loans and concessional loans. Pambazuka Press recently released a publication titled India in Africa: Changing Geographies of Power, and Oliver Stuenkel provides his review of the book.
The December edition available here.

The 2010 issues: September, October, November, December, and the 2011 issues: January, February, March , April, May , June , July , August , September, October and November issues are all available for download.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Action alerts

Demand release of Zimbabwean activists

PASSOP

2009-05-07, Issue 431

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/action/56104

Printer friendly version

Campaign groups in Cape Town have demanded the release of Zimbabwean civil society and opposition activists, describing their safety as ‘of grave concern’. Calling for South Africa to take action against ‘the Mugabe regime’, the group held a protest outside parliament to make the point that many Zimbabweans are refugees, not just economic migrants.

We demand the immediate release of all Zimbabwean activists. On 5 May 2009 Zimbabwean courts ordered the detention of 17 previously released Zimbabwean civil society and opposition activists, including Jestina Mukoko, Concilia Chinanzvavana, Chris Dhlamini and Ghandi Mudzingwa. The safety of these detainees is of grave concern, particularly given their public exposure of the torture, humiliation and violent assault they faced when they were first abducted. It must be recognised that they are in danger and that these actions place their lives under serious threat.

On 4 May, the South African government promised Zimbabwean nationals a 90-day visitor’s permit and the lifting of visa restrictions on crossing the South African border. We have concerns about its distribution and some of the details of the arrangement, but this recent decision seems to be a positive development. However if Zimbabwe continues to violate human rights in such a manner, South Africa is only dealing with the symptoms of the problems created by mass migration. The Zimbabwean government must face consequences; action must be taken by South Africa against the Mugabe regime. The new parliament of South Africa can no longer be seen to be standing by Zanu PF.

A protest was held outside Parliament (Plein Street, Cape Town) on Wednesday 6 May at 1pm, during the opening of Parliament. The protest makes the point that Zimbabwean nationals entering South Africa are not exclusively economic migrants, but are also refugees who are unable to return to their home country for fear of doing so.

We encourage media to cover this story.

For comment or information contact:
PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty): Barbara/Braam, + 27 21(0)832561140
Zim Solidarity Forum: Sipho Theys, + 27 21(0)825000811
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition: Elinor Sisulu, +27 21(0)844024931

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

Readers' Comments

Let your voice be heard. Comment on this article.

↑ back to top