Talks or Chaos – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary
The Vigil is heartened by signs that people are beginning to accept that an all-embracing national dialogue is the only way forward to prevent chaos in Zimbabwe.
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The Vigil is heartened by signs that people are beginning to accept that an all-embracing national dialogue is the only way forward to prevent chaos in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: The Home Office has apologised to the Vigil for comments made by an official in a letter turning down an asylum request by a Vigil supporter. The official alleged that anyone could get a letter from the Vigil in support of their asylum claim on payment of a charge so the Vigil letter would be disregarded.
Mugabe’s call for 100% ‘indigenous’ ownership of companies in Zimbabwe is an invitation to a new wave of looting which will end foreign investment, killing any prospect of economic growth while Zanu PF is in power.
For the second time this week we braved winter rain to gather outside the Zimbabwe Embassy. On Wednesday a valiant group had gone to the Embassy to deliver a petition demanding transparency in Zimbabwe’s diamond sales. It was part of ‘Operation Take Back Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is now a gangster state, its democracy a travesty, with impunity for the rich and powerful and poverty and disease for the majority. On one level there is a vibrant economy fed by money made serving Mugabe’s corrupt mafia, on another there is mass unemployment, power cuts and water shortages.
This week sees the 10th anniversary of the Vigil, which was launched on 12th October 2002. Since then we have met every Saturday (except when it fell on Christmas day, when there is no one around in central London to demonstrate to). The Observer newspaper described us as the largest regular demonstration in London.
The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) group was recently rocked by infighting and the emergence of two factions, each claiming to have fired the other for a variety of allegations. Question Time hosted Part 1 of a debate between the two rival chairpersons, Ephraim Tapa and Grace Mupfurutsa.
The Vigil is sorry that our brothers and sisters in Malawi will suffer for President Mutharika’s hubris. Britain this week froze aid to Malawi because of its expulsion of the British High Commissioner for (privately) describing Mutharika as ‘intolerant of criticism’.
It’s been a busy week for vigil supporters, with our Independence Day demonstration against violence and our appeal to the Foreign Office to withdraw the invitation to attend the Royal Wedding unthinkingly issued to Mugabe’s Ambassador in London.
On 18 April Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) will mark the 31st anniversary of Zimbabwean independence with a lunchtime vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy. It will pay tribute to those who fought, suffered and sacrificed for the liberation of Zimbabwe and call for democracy, justice and rights and an end to the violence.