MDC Southend Anti Deportation Demo 28/07/2011

MDC Southend On Sea, in conjunction with MDC  South East District calls for a massive demonstration against the government's resumption of forced deportations of Zimbabwean refugees.The peaceful demonstration has been cleared by Essex Police. The demonstration will be held in front of: 


Southend Civic Centre,
Victoria Avenue, 
SS2 6ER


All interested parties and stake holders are welcome and should unite for a worthy cause.The demonstration will start at approximately 1330 and end at 1600hours with the signing of a petition to be handed to the two local members of parliament Mr James Duddridge and David Amess.We also expect the same petition to be copied to various government departments and Ministries.

United Kingdom has decided to deport Zimbabwean refugees when the European Union states that, it observes Zimbabwe as a country where human rights are not fully respected. Zimbabwe has failed to upheld the rule of law. The Robert Mugabe regime continues to imped on administration of justice, has repeatedly failed to hold free and fair elections, the free flow of information and the protection of constitutional rights and freedom in Zimbabwe.

Most of the refugees who are bound to be deported will face death, or inhuman degrading treatment in Zimbabwe. This has also been ill timed as Zimbabwe is bracing towards another gruesome general election.

Stanford Biti

Chairman Southend On Sea

MDC Southend Hausunde

A Measure of Good Sense Required

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 1^st 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

Should Zimbabwe Pin Hope on African Union?

The birth of African Union (AU) in 2002 was motivated from the futility of the then Organisation of African Union (OAU) in addressing crises in many African states including Rwanda, Somali and DRC.

Since many African countries had tarnished and dented the image of the total African good through abuse of territorial and political sovereignty, the main task of the AU was to therefore ensure that individuality of states would not continue to be abused and exploited to exasperate citizens against the common tirade of the continental good.
Surprisingly, the AU has once again left the Zimbabwe crisis off its agenda at an annual summit of leaders in Ethiopia, despite Zimbabwe’s crumbling unity government, intensified violence across the country and looming elections which Robert Mugabe can call at any time. Secretary to the AU Commission, Ambassador Jean Mfasoni said “Zimbabwe is not going to be discussed because it is now calm and these days there is no more fear that the situation would degenerate into a crisis. Now it is not a time for action.” AU’s main focus is Ivory Coast and Tunisia instead. Mr Mfasoni, when will Zimbabwe crisis become more pressing if AU failed to act when the country experienced unprecedented human rights abuses before and after the 2008 elections? Instead of waiting for a crisis to unfold again, why not put in place now preemptive measures which will ensure a transparent election process and protection of the electorate? 
As Ambassador Jean Mfasoni gave a lame excuse for turning a blind eye on Zimbabwe at the summit, dozens of MDC supporters were seriously injured in a wave of violence that saw ZANU PF youth militia run amok in Harare surburbs. MDC Budiriro youth treasurer, William Makuwari, was shot in the leg and heavily assaulted by the thugs. As recent as last week, the MDC secretary-general, Tendai Biti, warned the world that Zimbabwe could face a “bloodbath” at elections this year as “the tell-tale signs are already there….” The situation is reminiscent of the pre-election fever in 2008, a poll that left hundreds of opposition supporters dead, tens of thousands beaten and hundreds of thousands displaced. There is already widespread fear that this situation will repeat itself if elections are called soon.
Just in case the AU does not clearly understand what the people of Zimbabwe are asking from them, below are some of the essential conditions to be implemented if a crisis is to be avoided in the country;
·      “conduct independent investigations to establish whether the necessary conditions exist, and the environment is conducive to holding transparent, free and fair elections, before a new poll can be called. Fresh elections should, therefore, only be announced after the AU and SADC have cleared them
·      push for key reforms that must be undertaken ahead of fresh elections which include the establishment of a new democratic constitution, media freedoms, an up-to-date voters’ roll, an adequately resourced, independent and impartial electoral management body, and mechanisms to prevent violence and intimidation before, during and after elections
·      ensure that Zimbabwe enforces constitutional civilian control over the army and the security forces to prevent interference with electoral processes and to ensure democratic transfer of power
·      ensure that SADC supervises fresh Zimbabwe elections which the AU and other international groups vigorously observe and monitor. Deployment of election monitors should be at least six months before elections with monitors remaining on the ground at least three months after the elections
·      provide technical, administrative and other assistance to Zimbabwe aimed at developing and strengthening its electoral institutions and processes”.
If the AU can implement the above on all African nations, Africa would be a much better place to live and the AU can boastfully host summits with interesting themes as “Towards Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values”, as they would be very appropriate indeed.

Joao Matandirani

MDC Southend Hausunde