JOHANNESBURG - South African-based Zimbabwean political exiles said this week that the situation in their home country was not yet stable enough for them to go back, scoffing at calls made by the countrys co-home affairs ministers for them to return. Kembo Mohadi from Zanu (PF) and Giles Mutsekwa of the MDC (T) had called on Zimbabwean businesspeople and activists to return and rebuild their country, adding that police would consider dropping charges against them.
However, exiles who spoke to The Zimbabwean in Johannesburg this week dismissed the appeal as nothing but cheap politicking by the ministers, and vowed that they would not return until the country was rid of its repressive laws.
A year into the setting up of the unity government, the new administration is yet to repeal or amend the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which continue to be used punitively by security forces, especially the police, to harass human rights activists and journalists.
These two laws were principally manipulated by Mugabes dictatorial regime to concoct charges against opposition politicians, activists and journalists and led to their arrest, harassment, torture and subsequent escape into exile.
Interestingly, Mohadi, regarded as the more authoritative of the two co-ministers, failed to give clear assurances that returning Zimbabweans would not be arrested as happened to MDC Treasurer-General Roy Bennett. Bennett was harassed over allegations of terrorism and insurgency, which his party maintains are cooked-up charges.
Bennett was arrested on his return to South Africa to be sworn-in as the countrys deputy minister for agriculture. Mugabe has maintained that he will not swear-in the former Chimanimani farmer and MP, who has since been nominated minister by his party.
Solomon Chikohwero, chairman of the MDC Veteran Activists Association (MDC VAA), said this week that the ministers words were only meant to lure back businesspeople and were not aimed at anyone else.
I personally asked them if the same promises made to businessmen also applied to us and Mohadi deliberately dodged that question, said Chikohwero, in an interview with *The Zimbabwean early this week.
What it means now is that the government, instead of catering for the welfare of all its citizens, is trying to divide people according to how rich or poor they are and I find that to be very unfortunate.
Chikohwero, himself a victim of torture by Mugabes hated torture machine the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) said that the situation in Zimbabwe was still not conducive to the return of political activists.
Right now I am getting reports that a total of 52 of our fellow activists were arrested under POSA this week alone, for discussing the constitution, he said. This shows clearly that Zimbabwe has not moved anywhere near democracy since the formation of the unity government.
Even Mugabes continued stripping of powers from MDC leaders Tsvangirai and Nelson Chamisa indicates that Zanu (PF) is not committed to the government of national unity. Mugabe is testing his powers and if the MDC is not careful, very soon they will be relegated to nothing in the unity government and that means we cannot return now.
The MDC (T)s South African chairman, Austine Moyo, also felt that it was too early for Zimbabwean exiles to return, saying the situation still showed that the political situation could get worse.
Remember that the ministers who came belong to home affairs and might be trying to lure people back so that they can be arrested and thrown in prison, said Moyo.
I will not say if people should go or not, but would like to warn those returning that they are doing so at their own risk. If the government is committed to dropping charges, why does it not do it with Roy Bennett, who is already there but still being tried on cooked-up charges, and then move on to the rest of the citizens?
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