By NOMORE CHINODA and PRETTY CHAVANGO
Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt Development (ZIMCODD) has mobilised the civil society and social movements to help address challenges facing the nation ahead of the SADC people’s summit which will run alongside the SADC Heads of State Summit in Bulawayo, August this year.
Speaking at a public discussion hosted by SEATIN in Harare recently, former University of Zimbabwe student activist and ZIMCODD Programs Officer Tinashe Chisaira said all social movements in Zimbabwe must be part of the process by joining other movements from Southern Africa.
This year’s SADC People’s Summit will run under the theme “Giving Voice and Reclaiming Public Spaces for Our Communities.”
“When the SADC Heads of State and government meet in Victoria Falls in August, the rest of the people and social movements will also have their gathering and their space on the sidelines of the SADC Heads of State and government meeting in Bulawayo.
“The event will be mobilised by the Southern Africa People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN) of which ZIMCODD is the focal point for SAPSN.
“The major issue affecting SADC region is the issue of taxes whereby multinational companies are coming to extract natural resources and they are benefiting from tax rebates whilst the civil society is getting nothing,” said Chisaira.
Director with Youth Initiative for Democracy in Zimbabwe Sydney Chisi reiterated that the civil society must take action to break government policies into something real so that they empower the people of Zimbabwe.
He said Zimbabwe has a leadership crisis and called for all citizens to work on institutional strengthening and reform.
“We must work on institutional strengthening and reform.
“There must be initiatives to make sure everyone comply with the constitution, old laws and new laws must be harmonised to ensure people enjoy rights enshrined in the constitution,” he said. Harare Residents Trust spokesperson Precious Shumba denounced the government for failure to deliver social services to its people.
“Nearly 60% of residents have no access to municipal water.
“We need a government that is responsible for service provision to its people, resources must be allocated towards people’s needs.
“We must fight for our gains but we must also form strong united movements to fight capitalism, we don’t want victims of today’s capitalism to become perpetrators of tomorrow,” said Shumba. ZIMCODD is a Social and Economic Justice Coalition Established in February 2 000. It is dedicated to facilitating citizens’ involvement, through their sectors and as activists in making public policy and practice pro-people and sustainable.
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