African Monitor stands with citizens’ movements in South Africa to join the call for accountable government. African Monitor employees based in South Africa will join the planned mass action by civil society and other organisations set to take place on Friday, 07 April 2017.
“Everyone has the right, peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions” states the South African Constitution.”
As an independent non-governmental organisation whose mission includes entrenching good governance, African Monitor joins other concerned civil society organisations in calling for transparency and accountability in light of the recent developments in SA. Discontent among South African citizens has been evident for years, in the light of growing inequality, high unemployment among the youth and a dysfunctional education system. Strong evidence of growing corruption within government further adds salt to the wound in a society where the vulnerable have limited opportunities.
The dismissal of both the Minister of Finance and his Deputy last week, and the resultant consequences of those actions on South Africa’s economy, have brought a new sense of urgency to the crises the nation faces both in its governance, in the economy and in its development imperatives.
African Monitor Director Mrs Namhla Mniki-Mangaliso said the organisation could not stand on the side-lines as spectators while the country stood on the verge of being derailed by corruption and poor governance. “The essence of our work is to create and support accountability systems in the countries where we work; so that at any given time citizens have the right and the space to come together and shape the direction their government is taking. Where those accountability systems function well, governments should be willing to listen and take corrective action rectify their mistakes.”
Staff members in both AM’s Cape Town and Johannesburg offices will be given time off to join citizen action for accountable government in South Africa.
“We believe that it’s crucial that we stand together and find common solutions in the fight against corruption. History will judge us harshly if we let South Africa deteriorate into a failed state, when we have such a vast range of resources and opportunities at our disposal”, said Mrs Namhla Mniki-Mangaliso, Director at AM.
African Monitor takes a strong stand against leadership that is devoid of credibility and morality. We join calls for the restoration of the Office of the President through whatever lawful means necessary. More importantly, we call for a government that is willing to deliver on its commitments to end poverty, reduce inequality and enable the poor to participate effectively in our economy.
By joining the planned mass action, African Monitor will be doing so in exercising the Constitutionally-enshrined right to peaceful protest.
ISSUED BY: AFRICAN MONITOR
For more information, contact Joyce Moholola on 082 427 0122 or visit www.africanmonitor.org
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