Chombo blames Diaspora for protests in Zimbabwe

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Home Affairs minister and Zanu PF administration secretary, Ignatius Chombo, says Zimbabweans in the Diaspora are leading a campaign to cause alarm, despondency and unrest against his government.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Chombo said the exiles, who he described as “asylum seekers’, were being forced to speak against President Robert Mugabe’s government by western powers.

“The so-called asylum seekers in the United Kingdom and United States of America are on the forefront (sic), fomenting hate messages against government contrary to so-called human rights views that they purport to be advancing,” said Chombo.

Zimbabwean pressure groups in the UK and South Africa have joined the local partners in calling for better governance.

Recently, UK protesters led by the Zimbabwe Vigil confronted Finance minister, Patrick Chinamasa in London where he led a delegation drumming up support for the resumption of financial support by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The IMF and World Bank are likely to re-engage Harare by September, but opposition political parties and human rights defenders are afraid that the Mugabe establishment would use the money to clamp down on dissenters.

Chombo statement comes as UK exiles have also slated demonstrations for 23 July to protests the “injustice and brutality in Zimbabwe”.

The demonstrations will rally behind the #ThisFlag led by Evan Mawarire, who has been calling for Zimbabwe’s shutdown over Mugabe’s leadership failure.

Chombo took a swipe at white owned businesses, private companies and schools that heeded the #ShutDownZimbabwe campaign last week.

“It is interesting to note that some former white farmers, and company executives went to the extent of attending (leader of shadowy organisation #ThisFlag calling for so-called shutdown,) Evan Mawarire’s appearance in court and chanting out solidarity messages with him,” said Chombo.

“Some of the former white farmers and individuals went on to record and post videos on the internet inciting the public not to cooperate with authorities in Zimbabwe and stay at home. This hypocrisy should stop forthwith.

“No one from the white community has openly denounced the debilitating sanctions, which were imposed on the country by the Western world. I want to categorically tell them that their regime change agenda machinations will not work,” said Chombo.

Mugabe and the Zanu PF government have for one and half decades blamed regime change agents, sanctions and whites for Zimbabwe’s woes.

This is despite the fact Mugabe admitted in March that his government failed to stop the leakage of diamonds worth more than $10 billion that could have been used to mend the economy, due to corruption.

The president recently told rural Zanu PF supporters that the west was to blame for repeated delays in paying civil servants’ salaries. Nehanda Radio