Opposition parties to boycott Human Rights Day event

CITING the recent evictions from municipal land, smaller opposition parties in Nelson Mandela Bay vowed yesterday to boycott this weekend’s Human Rights Day celebrations, saying having thousands still without basic services like water and houses was nothing to celebrate.

COPE, the EFF, UDM, PAC and Azapo promised to mobilise members to boycott Saturday’s national Human Rights Day commemoration in Uitenhage.

While South Africans will be remembering those who paid with their lives during a protest in Sharpeville on March 21 1960, the small opposition parties in the Bay believe the celebrations will be wasteful expenditure.

Saturday will also mark 30 years since 19 people were killed in Uitenhage’s Langa township during a funeral procession.

At a joint media briefing at the Langa Massacre Memori- al yesterday, the parties vehemently opposed the planned celebrations in Uitenhage.

EFF regional secretary Zilindile Vena said the black caucus had agreed that this year’s evictions in Uitenhage’s Lapland and Chatty’s Qunu informal settlements were proof that the government did not care about residents.

“We cannot celebrate Human Rights Day with a regime that has shown it is anti-people. The ANC is anti-people because people in Lapland and Qunu were evicted with- out alternative land. It is not only an EFF thing but all parties agreed that land is a big issue because people are foreigners in their own country.”

When evicting the residents from both informal settlements, the city acted on court interdicts.

COPE regional chairman Khwezi Ntshanyana said including the Uitenhage massacre in the celebration was an electioneering ploy by the ANC to resuscitate itself.

UDM councillor Mongameli Bobani said: “It will be a com- plete waste of money to have such celebrations because the victims of the Langa massacre have been forgotten.

“I think this will be a slap in the face of Uitenhage people,” Bobani said.

The opposition parties will have their own gathering at Thanduxolo High School in KwaNobuhle instead.

ANC regional task team coordinator Cheeky Makasi said he and task team convener Charles Nqakula would address the media today about Saturday’s celebrations.