MANCHESTER, UK – A Zimbabwean family has been reunited for the first time in seven years in emotional scenes at Manchester Airport. Dad Wonder Maruma thought he would never see his wife and children again after being forced to flee Zimbabwe after being targeted by the brutal regime.
Lilian, 43, and daughter Rejoyce, 17, and 13-year-old son Reward dropped their bags and screamed for joy as they recognised him.
The dad-of-two, a craftsman, came to Britain after he was singled out by pro-government activists for refusing to support the Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe. He was granted asylum in 2009. But it has taken a further two years for him to secure visas to bring his family to Britain.
The family has managed to communicate through infrequent phone calls. Fighting back tears, he said: “They were so young when I left. Now they are grown. I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. I had to leave in a great hurry.
“I feel like I am dreaming. I think I am going to wake up and they will be gone. It was such a hard thing to leave my home and family but I had no choice.” Daughter Rejoyce added: “I’m so happy. I never thought this day would come.”
The family will now live in his one-bed flat in Swinton. Wonder, 47, is now studying social care at a college. Antonia Dunn, refugee services manager with the Red Cross, helped organise and pay for the reunion flights.
She said: “I know Wonder is very keen to make a positive contribution to the country he is now living in. He is already volunteering with us. “We will help the family settle into a new life here, finding them work and helping the children into school.” – Manchester Evening News
