6^th August, 2004

Press Release:

TRC organizes public Democracy Day on 13^th August 2004 in Maseru

Transformation Resource Centre is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary this year with a series of events. TRC’s next activity is a public Democracy Day to be held on the 13^th August, 2004 (starting at 9:00 am) at the Institute for Distance and Continuing Studies (IDCS/IEMS) in Maseru.

Taking the form of an open dialogue, the Democracy Day’s purpose is to engage different sectors of the society on sharing issues of democracy and good governance as well as human rights issues. The following will be the issues for discussion:

1. Dr. Matlosa will make the first presentation on the impact of Lesotho’s electoral reform from the former First-past-the-post system to the Mixed-member-proportion system on Democratic governance in Africa as well as lessons from other countries.

2. Mrs. K. Matashane (Women and Law in Southern Africa) will address the challenges facing Basotho society with regard to the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. The act aimed to protect women from sexual abuse and is likely to cause conflict in families.

3. The HIV/Aids pandemic is causing a rising number of orphans in the Mountain Kingdom. Students from the NUL Law Society will analyze the rights of orphans in a Moot Court case: After the parents died, guardians are supposed to take care of the well-being of the orphan. Instead, the guardian uses whatever is left for the child for his own purposes…

The Democracy Day will be opened by TRC Director Motšeoa Senyane. The choir from Sefika High School will entertain the guests with songs after the lunch break.