What Gamu & family now need is our support

Headlines, Opinion — By on October 10, 2010 11:19 pm

By Eugene Croco III

We woke up this morning to the sensational headline in the UK’s ‘ News Of The World’ newspaper; “GAMU: DON’T LET ME FACE THE FIRING SQUAD”, screamed the headline.

Eugene Croco III

This comes after her brilliant but brief exploits in the UK’s X-Factor and subsequent threats by the LEAKED news from the Home Office to deport her back to Zimbabwe together with her mum Nokuthula and her two other siblings.

The LEAKED news via the British print media suggested that the stance taken by the Home Office to NOT renew her mother’s Visa (under which Gamu and her two brothers are dependents) and hence the threats to deport her, came as a result of her – Gamu’s mum – claiming UK’s State benefits which she was not entitled to and therefore breaching the terms of her – ‘No recourse to public funds’ – Visa condition.

A lot can be said for or against Nokuthula’s decision to claim ‘working tax credits’ (depending on the kind of advice she received) for her family if indeed it’s true that’s what transpired. I am sure there are loads of other people who have made the same error.

Common sense – and a widely held view (and the Inland Revenue is sometimes confused on who should qualify or not qualify) – is that anyone working and paying tax in the UK regardless of their country of origin should be ABLE to claim the ‘Working Tax Credits’, the reasoning being that if one pays TAX into the system one should also qualify like the rest of the TAX paying UK citizens to claim ‘Working and/or Child Tax Credits’.

That’s for the lawyers to explain to the rest of us laymen the discrepancy of that rule. But what prompted me to write this NOTE is the sudden turnaround in Gamu’s fortunes and the seemingly increasing number of Zimbabweans who have apparently ‘jumped ship’ as a result of this news headline resulting in her condemnation for suggesting that she may be killed for returning to Zimbabwe.

Whether or not she said it so bluntly and that she indeed knew what she was talking about is a matter of conjecture to the rest of us and only her family – who had up to now maintained a dignified silence – can bear testimony to her fears. I should add though that to the best of my knowledge NO ONE has ever faced the ‘FIRING SQUAD’ in Zimbabwe for whatever reason and it also came as a surprise to me that she did put it as bluntly as that.

We should all understand that her mum’s Visa problems have been simmering for a while and I am sure it’s been lurking at the back of her mum’s mind what her daughter’s participation in the X-Factor could bring towards the family apart from the anticipated success.

It’s the risk Nokuthula took and one worth taking, for as long as her application to renew her visa was under consideration she remained legally entitled to the same conditions of stay in the UK as accorded to her by the expired visa. That also means Gamu was free to participate in the X-Factor as much as she was free to attend school together with her siblings and her mother free to work and/or study as she had been doing.

It’s too much to bear for an 18 year old girl to carry the burden of the family (she said on numerous occasions that she wanted to help her mum have a good life through her singing) in the manner that Gamu intended to and remain sanely focussed on her singing career while also troubled by the shaky immigration grounds she and her family was standing on.

She came across as a brave, well-spoken girl focused on her singing career but her constant tearful references to the ‘better life’ for her mum masked a deeply worried and fragile soul that could breakdown at any moment. I am certain her mum’s immigration status and by association her owns’, played a lot in her little mind.

Most of us got carried away by her singing voice and wished her well on that front not knowing exactly what lied ahead for her and her family. We were quick to identify and be associated with her when we thought she ‘represented’ us as Zimbabweans. We joined all sorts of internet forums in her support and were proud of being identified with something positive from Zimbabwe, for a change.

But the moment a screaming headline appeared in the newspapers some of us immediately lost faith with her. Gamu did not write the headline and for all I care she might NOT have said that she faces a ‘firing squad’ if she were to be sent back home. Some of us who live in the UK should be aware of the sensational methods employed by the ‘News Of The World’ and their sister paper ‘The Sun’.

We should know better than to take hook, line and sinker any such headline from the said papers. On the other hand she might have said it. But that’s neither here nor there. The bottom line is she does not intend to return to Zimbabwe and it seems she is prepared say or do anything to remain.

We all don’t know her family’s circumstance well enough to be passing any sort of judgement and I personally believe in giving her the benefit of the doubt with regard her stated fears.

This promptly brings me to a view that some of us have indeed failed Nokuthula and her family. We have in the UK a host of influential residents of Zimbabwean origin who could (and should) have taken a leading role in guiding the family the moment it became apparent that the family was in dire constraints.

I have imagined Nokuthula and her young family holed up in their house for days on end while this circus was going on in the British media. They had been reading and watching on TV stories that they were not privy to, about their own immigration situation.

What Nokuthula needed at that particular moment was our own version of Maxx Clifford – the British public relations guru widely used by celebrities to dampen their misdemeanours – to take up the media and act as their spokesman.

She needed (and still needs in my view) someone who could coach her and her daughter about the things they could/could not say in public with regard the ongoing troubles with the UK Border Agency. Some may say they have family solicitors, but they are not there to coach or represent the family in public.

The solicitors are there to deal with the UKBA on their behalf and I wouldn’t fault them for not preparing public statements for the Nhengu family. Given the family’s situation the task stated above could have been offered free of charge and on an adhoc basis just to lessen the pressure on the family.

I suspect Gamu’s interview with the newspaper concerned came about as a result of ill-advice or lack of it. When people in the public arena make interviews they are often surrounded by their PR people advising and indicating which direction the interview should go. I doubt there was anything of the sort with Gamu.

It is much easier to lay into Gamu for her ‘FIRING SQUAD’ gaffe without actually understanding the thought process behind the outburst. She is an 18 year old girl who dreamt big and was indeed encouraged to do so by her X-Factor exploits and suddenly found herself being the focus of the media for all sorts of reasons nothing to do with her dreams.

She, together with her mum and siblings, spent days besieged under very stressful conditions thinking the world has turned on them and not being able to mingle with the outside world. She is an 18 year old who’s mind was racing with thoughts that her participation in the X-Factor has brought about the abrupt end of her family’s life in the UK.

On the other hand Nokuthula has seen her promising young daughter’s dream evaporate in thin air as a result of her own ‘mistake’ and she would be extremely mortified. What the family needs right now is not to be pounced on by people wilding twenty pounds hammers, but a shoulder to cry on.

I do sympathise with the Nhengu’s family at this very moment.

Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating to fund our operations.

For breaking news alerts on Zimbabwe click here Tags: , , ,