The clouds part – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary

As we gathered outside the Zimbabwe Embassy for yet another wet Vigil the skies suddenly cleared and warm sunshine broke through. We arrived generally pessimistic about the SADC summit in Maputo but before the day was out our lives faced transformation. 

‘Good people, good, good people, it has been an incredible and unbelievable day’ Tendai Biti said on his Facebook page. ‘SADC rose to the occasion and scuttled the evil and Machiavellian machinations of the chaos faction of Zanu PF.’

First reports say that Mugabe arrived at the meeting with the biggest entourage of any leader which tried to bully the summit organisers, saying they wanted a very short meeting. But President Zuma was ready for them and they were soon put in their place. ‘A successful meeting’ he later told SABC.

Mr Biti said all President Zuma’s recommendations were adopted, including a demand that the Constitutional Court be requested to postpone elections for 14 days to enable reforms to be made. The security forces would be required to publicly affirm their commitment to the rule of law, SADC observers were to be deployed immediately and SADC representatives were to sit in JOMIC and not merely to receive reports as demanded by Zanu PF.

Commenting on the development, MDC Education Minister David Coltart tweeted: ‘There are three reasons why SADC resolution is critically important; Firstly, it is a victory for the respect for the rule of law and the new Constitution; secondly, it means that voter registration and roll inspection can be completed before nomination day and, thirdly, it constitutes a major political faux pas by Zanu PF hardliners and will be damaging and embarrassing.’

The Vigil is grateful to President Zuma for standing up to Zanu PF, although they will still do everything they can to prevent free and fair elections. But now we know we are not alone.

Next Saturday the Vigil will be participating with the MDC in the 18th round of the monthly 21st Movement Free Zimbabwe Global Protest. This month the theme is ‘No reforms, no elections’.

Other points

• There is to be a demonstration under the banner ‘Zimbabwe: Never Again’ outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London on Thursday 27th June to mark the fifth anniversary of the presidential run-off in 2008. We will be joined by members of ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) the successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement. See ‘Events and Notices’ for full details.

• Demand for tickets to the screening of ‘Beatrice Mtetwa and the rule of law’ on Tuesday 18th June has been so great that it has been moved to a larger hall. See ‘Events and Notices’ for address of the new venue.

• We were happy to be joined by old friends Josie Zhuga and Batson Chapata who have been prevented from coming lately because of health problems.

• Thanks to Rose Maponga, Charles Dumisani Ndlovu, Tendai Chadehumbe, Kelvin Kamupira, Francesca Toft (in a back brace after a car accident), Mollie Mujati, Georginah Makaza and Peter Sidindi who came early in the pouring rain to set up.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website – they cannot be downloaded from the slideshow on the front page of the Zimvigil website.

FOR THE RECORD: 37 signed the register.