This is just a quick update about the SADC summit underway in Windhoek, Namibia. The chairperson of the Namibia Non-governmental Organisations Forum (Nangof) Trust, and fellow trustees have asked the Windhoek High Court to declare both the SADC demonstration ban and section 2 of the Public Gatherings Proclamation, AG 23 of 1989 unconstitutional. Nangof Trust’s challenge follows a police ban on public demonstrations or gatherings in Namibia up to the end of this week when the SADC summit ends.
The reason for the ban is, apparently, the Namibian Police are unable to guarantee the safety of the protesters due to a heavy schedule as a result of the SADC summit. Read more here: http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2010/august/article/demo-ban-faces-challenge/
Meanwhile, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia is the new boss of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the next 12 months. The Namibian president took over the chairmanship from
Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
