On Friday 17 August 2018 members of the SJC10 will hold a press conference with the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), Right2Know (R2K) and Equal Education (EE) at the Cape Town Civic Centre.
In the broader South African political context, the State’s attempt to hinder peaceful and unarmed protest is incredibly distressing. As civil society organisations, we will continue to fight for our democratic rights, and hope the Constitutional Court will uphold the High Court judgment in the name of creating “an open and democratic society, based on the values of freedom, dignity and equality”.
The Civic Centre is a symbolic choice, as it was the scene of the “crime” for which the SJC10 were arrested on 11 September 2013. The planned act of civil disobedience was an attempt to engage with Mayor Patricia de Lille regarding sanitation in informal settlements after numerous attempts from the SJC went unheard by the City. Activists peacefully chained themselves to the Civic Centre’s railing, waiting for the Mayor to come outside and speak to them. In the course of this peaceful, unarmed protest and genuine attempt at democratic engagement, 21 activists were arrested under the RGA. 11 of the 21 were acquitted, but 10 were charged under the RGA for failing to provide notice. They still have criminal records.
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PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS:
Venue: Cape Town Civic Centre
Time: 10am-11am
FOR COMMENT:
Axolile Notywala
Social Justice Coalition
074 386 1584
Noncedo Madubedube
Equal Education
079 170 4656
Nomacebo Mbayo
Right2Know
064 311 0375
*The court papers can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/2nIyidf