Nationality pgm will block millions from voting

The former ruling partys position paper on the new constitution proposes that on issues of citizenship and the bill of rights, only children born in the Diaspora would be allowed duel citizenship. This paper is currently being distributed to party supporters in readiness for the constitutional outreach programme. Analysts view this is a tactical manoeuvre by Zanu (PF), as an estimated quarter of the countrys population living in self-imposed exile in South Africa and abroad would potentially be disqualified from taking part in the next general election under a new constitution.

Between three and four million Zimbabweans are said to be living outside the country, the majority of them in South Africa, having fled political repression and poverty after a decade-long economic crisis blamed on Robert Mugabes controversial policies, including the corrupt and violent farm seizure programme. Following the 2000 parliamentary elections, in which Zanu (PF) beat the MDC with the narrowest of margins (six seats), the government in 2001 enacted a law that stripped citizenship status and rights of close to 1.5 million Zimbabwean mine and commercial farm workers born of parents from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. This exercise resulted in statelessness for all these individuals, who were also denied the right to vote in the 2002 Presidential elections.

Zimbabwe bars dual citizenship, and a 2003 amendment to the Citizenship Act tightened the law by requiring Zimbabweans who were once citizens of other countries or whose parents were once foreigners to formally renounce that foreign citizenship in order to qualify for Zimbabwean citizenship. Exiled former ZBC reporter and political analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga said at the weekend it was common knowledge that Zanu (PF) was aware that the majority of the constituency in exile did not subscribe to its repressive and corrupt politics.

So they will try by hook or crook to stop people in the Diaspora from voting in Zimbabwe. But since this is a proposal by Zanu (PF), it is not guaranteed that this will sail through Parliament under the current legislative set up. I regard this as election posturing, Mhlanga said. Josh Chigwangwa, another exiled Zimbabwean living in the UK said the proposal by Zanu (PF) was very dangerous in that it sought to separate children from their parents. Instead of embracing the national healing concept they still want to alienate the millions of Zimbabweans living in exile. This is why we are urging the inclusive government to make changes to the law where necessary to enable thousands of Zimbabweans who lost their citizenship, or who have acquired citizenship of other countries to participate in national affairs, Chigwangwa said.