Zimbabwe

Police on Monday 24 May 2010 pressed fresh charges against two employees of WRI affiliate Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), who were arrested last week after the police raided their offices in the capital.

Police on Monday charged Ellen Chademana, who attended the WRI conference in India in January 2010, and Ignatius Muhambi with contravening Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for allegedly undermining the authority of President Robert Mugabe.

It is with deep regret and sorrow that Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) informs all our friends and partners of the passing away of our Director - Keith Goddard, one of the champions for the struggle for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples rights in Zimbabwe.

Inthenews.co.uk reported on 24
February that Zimbabwe has embarked on a mass recruitment exercise of
rural youths to be trained as soldiers against the backdrop of massive
desertions of exasperated junior and middle ranking officers over low
pay.

Soldiers in the country have been forced to turn to crime, looting
shops and supermarkets and confiscating money and food from civilians;
sparking fears of full-blown mutiny.

BAE Systems, the British arms manufacturer under investigation in several countries for alleged bribery, paid at least £20m to a company linked to a Zimbabwean arms trader allied to President Robert Mugabe, documents seen by the Financial Times show.

John Bredenkamp, who has indefinite leave to remain in Britain, has had a controversial career ranging from supplying military equipment to the Zimbabwean military to mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Keith Goddard

10/08/1998 1 Conscription

conscription not enforced

At present the conscription situation is not quite clear. It is believed that although legislation provides for conscription, it is not enforced.

The 1980 constitution does not mention conscription and leaves it up to Parliament to fix the conditions of service in the armed forces.

According to a government statement in 1997 Zimbabwe has no compulsory military service. The statement suggests that the 1979 National Service Act provides for the introduction of conscription, if considered necessary.

In the summer of 1995, the group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) had to withdraw their exhibit at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. The President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, said that he found it "extremely outrageous and repugnant to my human conscience that such immoral and repulsive organizations ....should have any advocates in our midst."

The organizers of the state-funded Book Fair were forced to withdraw their earlier permission for GALZ to have a stand at the Fair. State police visited the Fair and removed posters protesting GALZ's exclusion.

by Shelley Anderson

In late November, 1993, the Dutch Southern Africa Committee organized the seminar "Women and political participation in South Africa" in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Several days later, the University of Utrecht held its annual Southern Africa Days with a program that focussed on women's perspectives.

Bienvenue, Dominique!

Dominique Saillard is the new woman on staff at WRI's London office, and the official liaison with the WRI Women's Working Group. She works three days a week at the office, and you can write or speak to her in French, Spanish, German or English. Dominique was born in France and educated as a professional translator; she lived in the US for awhile, where she was active in peace and environmental groups. She is deeply committed to women's empowerment. A very warm welcome from all of us, Dominique.