Although democratic and governance structures in Southern and East Africa unquestionably have transformed since the advent of multi-party democracy, true political inclusion remains an aspiration and not an achievement. This is evident from the increasing suppression by the State of civil and political rights such as the right to freedom of assembly and related rights to freedom of information and expression.

Moreover, more than ever we see in the region the importance of understanding the inter-sectional nature of rights violations, where those whose socio-economic rights are violated, also experience the violation of their civil and political rights. People who have no or limited access to socio-economic rights are usually denied their civil and political rights.
People living in poverty, for example, are usually arrested for protesting against the lack of water and sanitation; mineworkers, protesting economic ‘unfreedom’, are killed by police for ‘unlawful’ gatherings; students living in poverty are tear-gassed for demanding the right to education.

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