Zimbabwe Vigil Diary – 16th September 2006

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P O Box 248, Hythe, SO45 4WX, United Kingdom


LONDON - The savage repression of the workers’ demonstrations in Zimbabwe this week made the Vigil even more determined to stand up for our suffering brothers and sisters back home. We had with us founder Vigil member Addley, whose sister Grace Kwinje (MDC Deputy Secretary for International Affairs) was arrested during the demonstration on Wednesday.
We were relieved to hear that Lovemore Matombo, ZCTU President, along with the others had been released. On Wednesday, we had his niece Mercy with us in tears when she heard he’d been arrested and beaten.
These torturers must not think they can get away with it forever. The people know who they are and they will be brought to justice. The Vigil was addressed by Julius Mutyambizi-Dewa, newly-elected Secretary of the MDC UK. He said we must not be intimidated by the latest brutal response by the Mugabe regime to peaceful protest. He said that the police and the army are our brothers and some of them are beginning to see the light.
He had spoken to Grace Kwinje, who despite her ordeal, was defiant and determined to fight on. The Vigil made a spontaneous collection for this week’s victims of violence – but the main message we want to send them is our admiration for their courage.
We had a good attendance (including a large group from Milton Keynes) despite some regulars attending a London meeting arranged by the Britain-Zimbabwe Society on Zimbabwean skills and reconstruction. We are glad that so many came to join us to express their outrage at what is going on in Zimbabwe rather than talking about it.
Wonderful to meet the family of founder Vigil member, Patience. Her husband and two children have recently joined her from Zimbabwe. So many families have been divided by the Zimbabwean catastrophe so it’s a great joy to see a Vigil family reunited.
We are glad that so many of the new MDC-UK National Executive are activists, many of them members of the Vigil – we look to them all to do more than just talk. For this week’s Vigil pictures: http://uk.msnusers.com/ZimbabweVigil/shoebox.msnw. FOR THE RECORD: 72 signed the register.
FOR YOUR DIARY: Monday, 25th September, 7.30 pm: Zimbabwe Forum. Upstairs at the Theodore Bullfrog pub, 28 John Adam Street, London WC2 (cross the Strand from the Zimbabwe Embassy, go down a passageway to John Adam Street, turn right and you will see the pub).


LONDON – Scores of Zimbabweans last week demonstrated outside the offices of the Conservative and Labour Party offices in Leeds, Birmingham, and Manchester against the deportations of thousands of failed asylum seekers back to Zimbabwe from Britain.
The demonstrations were organised by the United Network for Detained Zimbabweans (UNDZ). The organisation’s spokesman, Noble Sibanda, said the demonstrators handed over petitions voicing their concern over ‘the contradictions which we continue to find in Tony Blair's government over the Zimbabwe crisis’.
"Nobody wants to be here any longer than necessary. Things are not yet okay in Zimbabwe and the British government knows that and that is why Zimbabwe is still under the targeted sanctions," said Sibanda. "As long as they haven't removed those sanctions then it means people are still being trampled on. We want the British government to work with us on this issue and many others. They should not run ahead of us but work with us."
In a recent court ruling, the British government won the right to deport thousands of failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers but lawyers have mounted a legal challenge. – Own correspondent