ZEF Executive Director, Gabriel Shumba, said that, although the Zimbabwean Diaspora now comprises about a quarter of Zimbabwe’s population, they are in most instances marginalized from national processes.
This has impressed upon the South African-based organisation the need to carry out activities, lobbying and advocacy that ensure that Zimbabwe’s exiled community engages with the Constitutional reform, elections and national healing.
“The workshop also observed that the National Healing project as it is currently envisaged in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) promotes a top-bottom approach instead of vice-versa, thus making it difficult for survivors of gross human rights violations to have their opinions heard,” said Shumba.
“The importance of institutional reform, especially the security sector, before any credible election is held in Zimbabwe, can also not be over-emphasised and in order to prevent impunity, there is a need for accountability and reparations, among other processes necessary to heal Zimbabwe.”
Shumba added that any elections that excluded the Diaspora would lack legitimacy and credibility, as an estimated population of four million Zimbabweans living outside their home remains one of the biggest Diaspora populations in the world.
“Amendments to the Zimbabwe Electoral Act should ensure that the Diaspora is factored in and ZEF will engage with the negotiators and the facilitators to the Global Political Agreement to ensure that this becomes a reality during the referendum and the elections,” added the human rights lawyer.
The ZEF workshops – aimed at engaging the Diaspora on the broad issues of national healing and in particular, transitional justice, are held in partnership with the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (UK) and are supported by Trust Africa.
Post published in: Politics