The Defend Our Democracy Movement held a solidarity picket on Friday morning at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. It followed recent attacks on civil society organisations and journalists over the past few months.
Zaakirah Vadi, Defend Our Democracy’s coordinator, said the picket was necessary to say “hands off civil society”.
We will continue our unapologetic defence of poor people’s right to live in the inner city, for them not to be displaced in whatever plans the City has to repair dilapidated buildings. Masiangoako expressed gratitude to those who dispelled misinformation about Seri’s work and said they would continue with an unapologetic defence of the people they defend.
That was the message conveyed to those who gathered for a protest at Standard Bank’s headquarters in Johannesburg last week. Activists called for the bank to stop all investments in fossil fuel projects and redirect the funding to renewable energy. “We got 20 people inside their building and they sat down, that was their crime, and as a result of that, 14 armed private security personnel were deployed to drag these peaceful protesters out of the building and throw them out,” he said.
A police K9 unit patrols outside 80 Albert Street in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, the scene of the horrific inferno that left 77 people dead and scores more injured on 31 August 2023. that the ZEPs, which were due to expire in December 2021, would not be extended. Permit holders were given a 12-month grace period until the end of December 2022 to legalise their status in the country by other means.
“As civil society organisations and NGOs, we are not in the business of looking for popularity, oftentimes our causes are going to be deeply unpopular, but we can stand up and give voice to those who are marginalised, vulnerable, who live on the sidelines and have no voice at all in our society, and that is a really important space that needs to be protected.”
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