British Caribbeans ashamed of Mugabe

He said I remember when he was seen as a liberator. Bob Marley sang in Harare to celebrate a new dawn. I feel let down to see how low he has sunk. All he wants to do is to cling to power at all costs. He has brought shame on Africa. I had a picture of him on my wall together with a picture of Mandela. I ripped Mugabe down. I am friends with Mandela. I have only seen him angry once and that was about Mugabe when he spoke about failure of leadership in Africa.
The Vigil welcomes Zephaniahs support particularly highly because we have had such difficulty getting our message over to our Caribbean brothers. It has been difficult to disabuse them of the dream we all shared and convince them that Mugabe the liberator has turned into Mugabe the monster.
Unfortunately the message has not yet been taken seriously by the African Union which has appointed Zimbabwe as the chair of its Peace and Security Council. The move is a slap in the face to human rights campaigners, coming as 12 MDC supporters were dragged into court in Harare with obvious signs of torture. The police in Zimbabwe no longer even attempt to conceal their abuse of prisoners.
The Vigil is alarmed that even the opposition has been co-opted into this police state. Despite the MDC having a majority of MPs, Parliament ratified spending $98 million on a giant spy centre being built by the Chinese in Harare. MDC Chief Whip Innocent Gonese said we cant oppose something from government when we are part of government.
But the real question facing Zimbabwe is not whether the MDC is confused about its role or whether the AU is fit for purpose it is whether SADC will continue to stand up to Mugabes bluster at its meeting in Johannesburg at the weekend. The Vigil was encouraged by remarks by the former SADC Executive Secretary Prega Ramsamy. He said he was convinced that the new leadership in SADC had opened a new chapter in handling issues within the bloc, particularly taking into account events in North Africa and the Middle East. It is obviously clear that SADC is no longer in the mood of solidarity at any cost, he said.
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EVENTS AND NOTICES:
Free film screening of ‘Hear Us’. Saturday 25th June from 7 – 9 pm. Venue: The Frontline Club, 13, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1QJ. Hear Us is a film from inside Zimbabwe about political violence against women. Kudakwashe Chitsike of the Research and Advocacy Unit will introduce the film and take your questions. For more information contact: the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, tel: +44 (0)20 7065 0945 or check: http://www.hrforumzim.com/hear-us-film.png
Service of Solidarity with Zimbabwes torture victims: Sunday 26th June from 2 4 pm. Venue: Wesleys Chapel and Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London EC1Y 1AU (nearest tube: Old Street). The event is organized by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (www.hrforumzim.com). Speakers are Irene Petras, Director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Kudakwashe Chitsike, Lawyer in the Womens Department of the Research and Advocacy Unit (Zimbabwe). Vigil supporters will be providing the music in the form of Zimbabwean hymns.
Stop the violence in Zimbabwe: Vigil for democracy and rights. Monday 27th June from 1 2 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London WC2R 0JR. This protest marks the anniversary of the fateful 2008 presidential run off election when Zanu PF ran a brutal campaign of violence including mass rape in a bid to retain power. Zimbabwe may have elections within the year. We cannot let the violence happen again. The protest is organised by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), the successor to the Anti-Apartheid Movement. ACTSA will be presenting hundreds of stop the violence cards to the Embassy. To get copies of the card or to let ACTSA know youll be attending, please email campaigns@actsa.org