Action Alert : Support Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu
November 3rd, 2008
Update: 7 November 2008
Williams and Mahlangu have finally been released from prison after 3 weeks in custody. Via SW Radio Africa
Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu have now spent their third weekend in prison. On the 27th October, Magistrate Charity Maphosa denied bail to Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu in Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court claiming that it would not be in the best interests of justice.
The two WOZA women were arrested during a peaceful demonstration on 16th October 2008. The WOZA women marched to ask the government to declare the food shortages in Zimbabwe a national disaster; they also demanded immediate food aid for all Zimbabweans. This is what happened:
On arrival at the Government Complex, the group of approximately 200 sat down outside the gates whilst a delegation of four elderly women went in to request that the Regional Department Heads of all the service departments come out and address the crowd on what is being done to alleviate the humanitarian crisis facing the country.
The group sat peacefully waiting to be addressed for 45 minutes before five riot police approached the group. Two leaders, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, were arrested and taken to Drill Hall, which is across the road from Mhlahlandlela. The rest of the group were forcibly dispersed by being beaten with baton sticks. At least one member is receiving medical attention for the beating she received. Williams and Mahlangu were later taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station [...]
It’s hard to imagine how Magistrate Charity Maphosa thinks justice will be served by denying these two women bail.
Today’s update from WOZA indicates that there is growing concern for the well being of the two women:
In the meantime there is increasing concern for their well-being. Prison guards at Mlondolozi are becoming increasingly hostile. They were threatening and abusive to the team taking food to them on Thursday last week and are now saying that the support team can only visit them once every two weeks (having told them that they could see Jenni and Magodonga once a day on week days). Food is still allowed in but they are not allowed to receive visits.
TAKE ACTION
Call up the prison, the attorney general, the public prosecutor (ask to speak to Prosecutor Chifamba ) and the High Court
Visit our action contact database and filter on the current action “Supporting Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu – WOZA” for relevant telephone numbers to call in Zimbabwe. Please register your concern for their well-being, and make sure the person you are speaking to is aware that you know what is happening to them, and that you feel it is unacceptable.
It might be an idea to start your call be quickly saying “I am from New Zealand (or wherever you are from) and I am calling to let you know that the people in my country are very concerned at the way Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu are being treated by the Zimbabwean government“. That way, if the person hangs up on you, he or she will at least know that news has travelled far and that people around the world are motivated to protest and take action.
Please, be polite and very professional to the people you speak to, no matter how angry you feel or how rude they may be to you. The latest update from WOZA says that the women are experiencing some hostility from prison staff so its important that we don’t make them any more hostile than they are.
Instead, assure them that you know they are professional and that you are confident they will do all they can to ensure justice is done and that Jenni and Magodonga will be treated well and with respect. Tell them you understand that it is difficult for people to do their jobs properly in Zimbabwe’s political climate, but you believe that all good people will do their best and that you want them to know they are supported in their efforts. Let them know too that you are contacting SADC leaders to raise this issue ahead of the forthcoming summit.
If the person has not hung up on you yet, ask them to discretely take a message of solidarity to the two women from you and everyone around the world. Let Jenni and Magodonga know we’re with them.
Email SADC before the Zimbabwe Summit meeting and highlight this case as one example of Zanu PF’s non-compliance with the 15th September agreement
Contact details for SADC can be found in our Action Contact database by filtering on ‘Southern African Development Community (SADC)’ in the select by organisation option. Please demand that SADC bring pressure to bear on the Zimbabwean powers that be to release the two women immediately.
Alert us to any other contact details we should include, by using this form here. Please check the database first to see if it is not already in there.
Finally, post feedback from your calls in the comments, or send us an email. We’d love to know how you get on and your feedback helps to motivate others.
Thank you for your support!
November 3rd, 2008 18:03
When is this craziness going to end ? Zimbabweans are the most patient nation on record so far in the world, but for how much longer ? It seems a cicil war is the only next option as waiting for the world and the SADC to act as the only hope seems to be a never ending story of talking and no action.
November 3rd, 2008 19:44
@exbulawayo
All I can say is I agree with everything you have said.
The current situation is not going to resolve itself. SADC are unlikely to go against Thabo Mbeki and the Troika’s recommendations. So where does that leave Zim. NOWHERE..
The DRC debacle is going to dominate the world headlines now. Civil disobedience seems to be the only answer. The teachers and Health worker have started. It only takes the other public workers to follow and that leaves RGM nowhere to go
November 4th, 2008 07:12
mmmm – Zimbabwean patience seems to have resulted in being overlooked in the international arena. Meanwhile an uprising in the Congo seems to have resulted in talk of international armed intervention.
As they say “the only thing we learn from history – is that we never learn from history…”
November 4th, 2008 12:36
Do you think the worlds instant response to the DRC has anything to do with the diamonds that could go a long way to rescue the west from its current credit crunch or perhaps the Bush family cobalt mines in the area? I wonder …..? I’m quite sure the humanitarian aspect of it all is not a big deal.
Then of course there is the SA strategy round Mocambique – lets get it to the bottom then we can make it an economic colony …. lets do that to Zimbabwe too shall we? People suffering? – call it collatoral damage a means to a properous end.
GRRRRR
November 4th, 2008 14:15
I disagree that there’s anything ‘instant’ about the world’s response to the conflict in the Congo. In fact, the words ‘it’s about blady time’ should be used instead.
The conflict there was described a few YEARS ago as Africa’s ‘WWI’. What’s happening to civilians there – to women especially – is beyond horrific, and it is shameful that its taken the world so long to start reacting properly to it. If we think the world has jumped to action then it just shows how invisibly the people have been dying and how oblivious many of us have been to the atrocities perpetuated there.
November 5th, 2008 02:28
Instead of a peaceful protest of nine women, where all nine could be picked up and two imprisoned, how about a peaceful rally of nine thousand? Every day? In both Harare and Byo? Instead of queuing?
November 5th, 2008 02:34
I followed the above link (Action Contact Database) but the page “Collect email addresses” is completely blank. Anyone else having problems with it?
November 5th, 2008 12:53
@Ozzie – Hi Ozzie. The ‘collect email address’ function only works if there are email addresses associated with the contact details. So for police stations etc where Jenni and Magodonga are being held, we only have telephone numbers so you will get a blank page for this. (I need to try make this clearer). However, you should be able to collect emails addresses for the SADC part of the action. I’ve tested this and it is working on my side. Can you let me knopw if you’re having problems there too.