Following the ‘brutal killing’ of activist Andries Tatane ‘at a peaceful rally’ in South Africa, Emmie Chanika calls for solidarity with grassroots and civil society organisations.

I just wanted you to know that Runnart Kambudzi died recently. Runnart was one of the pioneer staff members of Civil Liberties Committee.

She was an administrator and Gender officer. I preferred to refer to her as assistant director because the two of us did the donkey work with help from the founder members and dedicated members of CILIC. Whenever the wind turned against me personally, which could be nasty, she would manage to sooth me. She would convince me to go and meet people I thought I should not meet. She would do her job seven days a week, 10 hours a day and sometimes we would work in the field 8 hours a day and drive four hours a day for a one week field visit. She would work the accounts, help in the organisation and lecture, and work on our sentiments in such a calm manner.

She was a chronic asthmatic, so that travelling in the cold could have contributed to her early death. For some time we would go without salaries, yet she was a widow with so many dependants and her 2 children, one of them an adopted niece. She was a gallant Human Rights Soldier with no provisions for the battle.

I hope you can pass this on to people who knew her, most of whom admired her guts and her beauty.

I agree with the writer who has decided not to attend the Social Forum again until grassroots are involved. I tried to fight for the same for Beijing’s Women Conference to my own antagonism in the end, but I do not regret. That is the strongest protest one can do. It doesn't matter if you are ostracised later, other sensible forums who see potential in you will always invite you to something you can contribute effectively and that makes more sense.

And no wonder such forums are used for sex and extortions. I am one of the strongest Gender and Human rights activist but I hate blackmail like what happened in the Mumbai so called rape case, if what I hear and came to reason is right. Was the woman tied up while the guy put on a condom? Shame, and we are also shaming our good and worthwhile fight for gender equality if we misuse the attention we get to get rid of enemies.

But I also think the guy was stupid. He should have known he is being set up, unless his libido is uncontrollable like most human beings, especially, men, who think of nothing else when the desires hit them. Wives and jobs, credibility and all are thrown out of the window. We know these things happen, but why not just be careful with who you have sex with and how you go about it. On behalf of your wife and other partners, I thank the man for at least using a condom. We still get stories of men who in such circumstances say they cannot use condoms. Most of these men are internationals and nationals who should know better about HIV/AIDS.