President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Dear Editor,
Please help me by publishing my open letter to the President of Zimbabwe, Comrade Emmerson Mnangagwa, which I am also sending through the United Nations.
Comrade Mnangagwa had given a bit of hope that his administration which has national interests at heart would accord the people of Zimbabwe free and fair elections as outlined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The constitution of Zimbabwe gives all citizens the right to vote, whether they are in the Diaspora or resident in Zimbabwe. Despite that constitutional provision granting Zimbabweans in the Diaspora the right to vote.
The first time Comrade Mnangagwa spoke about the Diaspora vote he said the Diaspora Zimbabweans will not vote. But what effort has his administration ever made to enable the Diaspora based Zimbabweans to vote? Zero – he just says it can’t.
He was told by the Zimbabweans in Angola on his visit that the Zimbabweans there want to vote, and for him that does not matter – all he wants is for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to invest in Zimbabwe. He doesn’t care about their needs, he only wants their money.
If the Government would despatch BVR machines to the Diaspora, Zimbabweans would come in their numbers to register using their passports as identification documents. The international community has called for free and fair elections that provides every Zimbabwean with the opportunity to vote, and surely many countries would assist in some way to ensure that Zimbabweans living in the respective countries are able to register to vote and provide the support on election day. Votes would be counted at the respective embassies of Zimbabwe in the Diaspora in the presence of representatives of parties. The Diaspora may not necessarily have to vote in constituency elections if that is complicated, but for the Presidential ballot, it will be very easy to implement.
Please, President Mnangagwa, Zimbabweans in the Diaspora need their right to vote, the same right that Government of Zimbabwe has accorded to Mozambique national living in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, Comrade Mnangagwa has not spoken against the behaviour by Zanu PF thugs who are going around taking people’s registration documentation to employ their intimidating antics to suspected MDC and other opposition supporters.
Disappointed.