A Declaration by Zimbabwe Civil Society

Durban, South Africa, April 2008. Bishop Purity Malinga and vigilers protesting a ship which attempted to deliver weapons bound for Zimbabwe. South African labor unions, churches, and NGOs, aware that the weapons could be used by Zimbabwean government

We, the leaders of civil society organizations of Zimbabwe;

Deeply conscious of the mandate given to us by the citizens of Zimbabwe to continuously and consistently work, individually and collectively, towards bringing to an end the multi-faceted crisis facing Zimbabwe today;

Recalling the longstanding and unheeded calls by Civil Society prior to the election, for greater efforts to ensure democratic conditions conducive for a free and fair election process;

Recognizing and commending the people of Zimbabwe for peacefully participating in the "harmonized elections" of March 29, 2008, in spite of adverse political, socio-economic, and humanitarian conditions, with the express intention of contributing to the democratization process in Zimbabwe;

Bearing in mind that the deepening crisis, though exacerbated by the March elections, have their roots in the country's flawed constitutional dispensation;

Noting with growing concern the rapidly deteriorating political, social, security, and human rights climate which has disrupted the lives of citizens and further rendered it increasingly difficult for humanitarian and human rights organizations to dispense life-saving support services to the most vulnerable societal groups;

Do hereby:

Observe with great concern, the continued abuse of executive and military powers to subvert the expressed will of the people;

Recognize the glaring extent to which Zimbabwe has sunk deeply into a crisis of legitimacy, democracy, and governance;

Reiterate the longstanding position of Civil Society Organizations that the failure by duty bearers to respect the rights of all citizens is the greatest threat to peace, democracy and development in Zimbabwe;

We now, therefore, resolve to:

1. Forthwith, adopt and launch the Make Our Vote Count Campaign as a national mass-based, people-driven initiative, to mobilize the people of Zimbabwe to reclaim their votes through peaceful, nonviolent social action and in so doing contribute to the entrenchment of democracy and good governance in Zimbabwe.

2. Demand a people-driven and democratic Constitutional reform process.

3. Call upon the people of Zimbabwe to unite in order to peacefully reaffirm and reclaim their vote through nonviolent social action.

4. Call upon regional and international leadership, in particular the African Union and the SADC, to urgently step up efforts to exert the necessary pressure on the Zimbabwean political leaders to comply with and protect the will of the people.

5. Demand that immediate actions be taken to ensure the closure of youth militia and war veteran/military base camps that have been set up in various areas around the country, and to oversee the disarmament and disbanding of these groups.

6. Call upon ZANU (PF) to immediately cease using the institutions of state security and repressive legislation to subvert and deny the expressed will of the people, particularly in denying freedoms of assembly, association, and expression.

7. Demand that service chiefs (i.e. defense forces, intelligence, police, prisons, army, air force) immediately retract inflammatory and partisan statements, threatening a possible unconstitutional takeover of the government.