Diaspora No to Mugabe – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary

LONDON – If further evidence was needed that Mugabe is crazy it came with his appeal to the diaspora to give him more money – presumably for his non-stop travels in search of eternal life.

Whatever Zanu PF in the UK says, no sane Zimbabwean here would dream of putting their money anywhere within Zanu PF’s grasp. The party’s UK spokesperson says Zimbabwe is a ‘victim’ of a vicious depression as well of course as ‘illegal’ sanctions but he happily proclaims that ‘the economic renaissance (is) already in motion’

We don’t see any sign of an economic renaissance in Zimbabwe. Sure the UK diaspora supports our families at home – otherwise they would starve, die of preventable diseases or drop out of school. But Mugabe’s deluded hope of financial help from the diaspora only shows how out of touch he is with reality. Zimbabwe is a basket case and the diaspora doesn’t have any spare coins to toss in the begging bowls of crooks and con men.

Even genocidal maniac Mutasa (‘we only need 6 million people so long as they all support Zanu PF’) has now seen the light and tells the BBC he fears for his life. ‘You see people disappearing . . . so will they spare my life or send a sniper to shoot at me?’ he asked, adding that the fighting in Zanu-PF was worse than the situation under former white minority leader Ian Smith. ‘The Smith regime was not as bad as the current regime – it’s really terrible,’ Mr Mutasa said.

We at the Vigil ask who will invest in a country where a high profile human rights activist like Itai Dzamara can be ‘disappeared’ by the intelligence service? Or, for that matter, where the boss of the State Procurement Board – a plum rip-off job – owes more than a million dollars in unpaid tax on his earnings – let alone his bribes! The brazen Charles Kuwaza sees no need to pay taxes because ‘my contract is with the President’.

We note that Zanu PF has expelled Joice Mujuru, describing her as ‘the Godmother of all the corruption, including that which has brought strategic parastatals like Air Zimbabwe, ZBC, NRZ, IDC and GMB to their knees’. (What about Mr Kuwaza’s SPB?)

Apart from engaging in witchcraft and sorcery in her attempts to render the President unfit to govern, Mujuru is apparently the leader of fifth columnists. We wonder if they are talking about the fifth-rate columnists on the Herald?

A meeting of the Zimbabwe Action Forum after the Vigil decided to ask for police permission to present a petition to the Zimbabwe Embassy at 11 am on Friday 17th April 2015 – the day before Zimbabwe Independence Day.

The petition will focus on the abduction of Itai Dzamara. The protest follows a series of approaches to the Embassy by concerned Zimbabweans hoping to present a letter asking for an explanation of the abduction.

In the latest protest, on Tuesday 31st March, Martin Chinyanga of Diaspora Feels It was taken into police custody for some hours and told not to approach within a yard of the Embassy after a complaint to the police by the Zimbabwean Ambassador.

Others taking part in the Tuesday protest were: Mary Muteyerwa, David Kadzutu, Noobukhosi Moyo, Hilda Gwesele, Tafadzwa Mushakwe, Enniah Dube, Rhoda Majoni, Mavis Chisvo, Linton Magume, Clever Manjoro, Epiphania Phiri, Danny Kadiki, Arthur Molife and Tendai Dlamani.

We are preparing a letter to the police detailing the concerns which prompt our approaches to the Embassy.

Other points

· The Zimbabwe Association is holding an exhibition ‘12 Years: Zimbabwe Association Exhibition Launch’ on Tuesday 5th May from 6 – 8 pm. The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery and shares the oral histories of Zimbabwean asylum seekers’ experiences in the UK from 2001 to the present. This exhibition contains material from the Zimbabwe Association archive, an extensive collection of records of individual cases, legal documents, press cuttings, reports, correspondence, and TV and radio recordings. For more details of the event check ‘Events and Notices’.

· For a short documentary by fellow journalists and activists on the abduction of Itai Dzamara check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Pn3UKA5UY.
· Tendai Kwari of Occupy Africa Unity Square UK advises us that one of our supporters, Epiphania Phiri, has raised £50 which she has sent to the Dzamara family. He thanks her for her dedicated work.
· Thanks to those who came early to help set up: Eunice Mucherechedzo, Charles Dhumisani Ndlovu, Danny Kadiki, Piyo Choga, David Kadzutu, Mary Muteyerwa, Bridget Mupotsa and Fungayi Mabhunu.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

FOR THE RECORD: 37 signed the register.