Scores of Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom protested on Friday against the continued detention of opposition activists and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s impending assumption of office as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Petition to UK Prime Minister
The demonstrators delivered a petition to newly-elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to pressure Mnangagwa’s government to release jailed Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) activists. Speaking during the march, Dickson Chikwizo, one of the protesters, pleaded with SADC to reconsider Mnangagwa’s chairmanship.
“SADC, we plead with you, do not give the chairmanship to ED Mnangagwa. You said the 2023 August elections were sham elections, and hence now we, the citizens of Zimbabwe, are worried. You seem to be forgetting this report which stated clearly that those elections were stolen,” Chikwizo said.
Chikwizo further emphasized the plight of CCC members, mentioning Senator Jameson Timba, who he claims is imprisoned without cause. “May you please help us, we do have our Senator Jameson Timba in jail for no reason. He did not commit any crime, so we plead with you; we are in dire need of your help.”
Protestors Challenge SADC
Another protestor, Basil Kamombe, argued that awarding Mnangagwa the SADC chairmanship would legitimize an illegitimate presidency. “SADC, if you give the chairmanship to ED Mnangagwa, you are sanitizing illegitimacy that needs to be stopped,” Kamombe stated.
Josephine Mudimbu questioned SADC’s leniency towards Mnangagwa, given their previous stance on the 2023 elections. “If SADC has written in black and white that the elections were stolen, why are they being lenient on Mnangagwa? It was also said that he was an illegitimate President. Why are we still celebrating him as President yet he stole the elections? It is high time SADC should respect the populace of Zimbabwe; people are not happy.”
The demonstration was organized by various opposition parties and pressure groups, including ZAPU, CCC UK, Restoration of Human Rights (Rohr), Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO), and other activists in the diaspora.
Calls for International Support
The protesters’ plea to the UK government underscores the international dimension of their struggle. By engaging with British leadership, they aim to amplify their concerns and seek broader support for their cause. The engagement with Prime Minister Keir Starmer is part of a strategy to increase international pressure on the Zimbabwean government.
The protesters hope that international intervention can lead to the release of political prisoners and a re-evaluation of Mnangagwa’s leadership within SADC. They argue that recognizing Mnangagwa as the SADC chairperson would undermine the principles of democracy and justice in the region.
President Mnangagwa’s leadership has been a contentious issue since the 2023 elections, which many international observers and local opposition parties labeled as fraudulent. Despite these allegations, Mnangagwa has maintained his grip on power, leading to widespread discontent and calls for reform.
The protesters’ actions in the UK reflect a broader discontent among Zimbabweans both at home and abroad. The continued detention of CCC activists symbolizes the broader issue of political repression in Zimbabwe. The protesters argue that without international pressure, these injustices will continue unabated.
Source: New Zimbabwe
