At the Leeds Congress on 2 April 2011 the Minister of Home Affairs, Theresa Makone, spoke of her fear of the Zimbabwean Police as they intended to incarcerate her without cause. She reported that she had been in hiding in the run up to her UK trip and emphasized that Zimbabwe was not safe as yet. Speaking on 7 June 2011 to the Irish Times just after a petrol bomb was thrown at his home Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Finance, likened the situation in Zimbabwe to Rwanda on the eve of the genocide. On June 3, 2011 Bill Corcoran, reporting for the Irish times quoted impeccable sources reporting the re-establishment of notorious militia bases in Zimbabwe. In the run-up to the 2008 election, bases were used by the Mugabe regime as headquarters to intimidate, rape, torture, maim and in some instances kill those associated with the MDC. Bases also sprung up during operation “Operation Mavhoterapapi (How did you vote?)” a time when Zanu PF militias and war veterans assaulted, intimidated and withheld donated foodstuffs to people they believed did not vote for their Party. On 12 June 2011 the Daily Mail reported that a self-confessed torturer CIO Agent Phillip Machemedze had been accepting money from the CIO for his work in providing his masters on opposition activities in the United Kingdom as recently as April 2011. Speaking to the Daily Mail on 11 June 2011, Kate Hoey MP, who is chairperson of the All Party Group on Zimbabwe, called on the Home Office to arrest Machemedze, stating she knew of other “asylum seekers” in this country who are also suspected of maintaining links with the CIO. ‘Machemedze is clearly a dangerous man,’ she told the paper. To this date Machemedze remains in the United Kingdom with full refugee status.
On April 5 2011, the UK Border Agency published country guidance on Zimbabwe which insinuates that Zimbabwe is safe. This assessment was arrived at following a visit to Zimbabwe by a contingent sent to Harare in 2010 that purportedly stayed at plush hotels in the city centre and went on guided tours to a few areas of the country.
In June 2011 Brigadier-General Douglas Nyikayaramba proclaimed that those in the army were prepared to die to keep Mugabe in power while labelling Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader, a national security threat. This speaks volumes of the armed forces intent to forsake the ballot result and maintain Mugabe’s hold on power through the use of violence.
It is well documented that Mugabe unleashes his dogs of war in the run up to any election. In the run-up to the 2008 election torture, murder and rape were his weapons of choice. The youth brigade (green bombers); war veterans and militias have been deployed across the breadth of the country in preparation for the much talked about elections. It is widely known that Zanu PF wants the elections to be held in December 2011 although early 2012 seems more likely.
With this terrifyingly tense environment in mind it boggles the mind that the UK government is resolute on deporting Zimbabweans. Forced removals have started and yet Zimbabwean newspapers are awash with stories of MDC activists in Zimbabwe, being arrested, molested and going into hiding. How can known activists critical of the regime who have been away from Zimbabwe for long periods return safely back to Zimbabwe. This move is treacherous and requires a serious re-think on the part of the British government lest they end up with blood on their hands. Zimbabwe will never be safe with Mugabe at the helm and with CIO operatives like Machemedze in our midst.
On the 1st July 2011, fellow party cadre and renowned activist Josie Chari was taken to Bedfordshire detention facility. She was not permitted to take any personal items like medication or toiletries. Today she remains detained in a cell as if she were a criminal. Her crime you may ask? Denouncing the atrocities of Mugabe’s regime. Josie is a valuable member of her community and a staunch member of the Movement for Democratic Change Southend-on-Sea Branch. She is much loved and admired because of her kind and gentle nature. Stanford Biti, the MDC Southend-On-Sea Branch Chairperson has called for an anti-deportation protest on 28 July 2011. The address is Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6ER. We are calling upon all Zimbabweans, friends and those who support the cause to converge on Southend and send a loud message to UKBA to release Josie and many others in detention and at the same time lobby for reconsideration of the position to deport Zimbabweans. The National coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) has supported this call to stop deportations to Zimbabwe.
As women of Southend-on-Sea branch we, implore the British government to reconsider their position. Not just for our comrade in the struggle against Mugabe, but for the other unfortunate souls that face deportation to a land where they will be treated with contempt at best or as enemies of the state. A great Briton, Winston Churchill once said “Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense”. I beseech the British Government to exercise good sense in this matter.
Audrey Charowa
MDC Southend
Hausunde
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