Mugabe and Co – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary

Former Masvingo Minister of State Kudakwashe Bhasikiti was speaking in an interview with the Daily News.

Bhasikiti says he was one of three people who could speak officially for the proposed People First partyexpected to be launched next month. The others are the former Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, ousted Zanu PF spokesman. Bhasikiti asserted that People First would be led by Joice Mujuru who he insisted would never rejoin Zanu PF. ‘Gamatox will never be Zanu PF again. The post-congress Zanu PF translated itself into a private company which is now owned and privatised by a single family. We cannot be part of someone’s company’, he declared (see: Mujuru turns down Mugabe, Zanu PF – http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_w_mujuru-turns-down-mugabe-zanu-pf-dailynews-live/).

Bhasikiti is the latest expelled Zanu PF bigwig to spill the beans about the party’s corruption, violence and vote rigging. Last week Mutasa said in an interview with the Daily News that People First must apologise not only to the peoplethey had misruled but also to the entire world.

The Vigil thinks this will be a good start but doubts that their deathbed repentance will convince the 50 or so opposition parties. ‘As a matter of principle we are not going to join hands with the likes of Joice Mujuru andDidymus Mutasa because their hands are dripping with blood’, said Elton Mangoma of the latest MDC partyette, the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (see: http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zimsit_w_mangoma-blames-govt-for-dzamara-abduction-the-zimbabwean/ – Mangoma blames govt for Dzamara abduction).

As Mugabe’s bankrupt private company, facing liquidation, veers crazily between plans to tax vendors or drive them out of business, retain ghost workers and sack real ones, invite foreign investors and rob them blind, details have emerged of how Zanu PF has looted the National Security Authority, which isresponsible for paying pensions. A revealing article in the South African Mail and Guardian describes how it has been used by Mugabe and Co as a cash cow (http://mg.co.za/article/2015-08-06-greed-corruption-lead-to-povertyamong-zims-pensioners – Greed, corruption ‘fuel poverty among Zim’s pensioners’).

Other points

• The Vigil welcomed unexpected visitors from Zimbabwe: Douglas Mwonzora, Secretary-General of MDC-T, and Theresa Makone, the party’s Treasurer. They were accompanied by officers of the MDC’s UK province: Owen Muganda, Secretary, and Sibongile Sihwa, Vice Chair. Ms Sihwa warned us against CIO infiltration and said it was paying big money to undermine opposition groups. The Vigil is all too well aware of the CIO’s tactics. Mwonzora addressed the Vigil and spoke of reforms wanted by MDC-T, including the diaspora vote. This drew cheers from Vigil supporters.
• The Vigil marked 5 months since the activist Itai Dzamara was abducted by the CIO. Despite international protests, all we getfrom Mugabe and Co is deathly silence. Martin Chinyanga led a Vigil group in a demonstration outside the Embassy on Friday about the abduction. He found that the Embassy had summoned the police and said it showed how closely they read the Vigil diary which had trailed the protest. Martin also said a lady had been refused help by the Embassy with her passport on the grounds that she had attended the Vigil. Those who took part in the demonstration were: Hilda Gwesele, Roda Majoni, Nobukhosi Moyo Lazarus Matiyenga, Paul Chipamhadze, Crispen Ndlovu, Peter Sidindi, Martin Chinyanga and Danny Kadiki.
• Thanks to Humphrey Dube, Eunice Mucherechedzo, Helen Rukambiro, Prue Glanfield, Paul Fusire and Fungayi Mabhunu who arrived early to help set up. Thanks also to Eunice, Helen and Rose Maponga for taking care of the front table and to Paul for bringing delicious cupcakes.
• We were interested to see that police boss Augustine Chihuri is the latest shareholder of the Mugabe firm to acquire a doctorate, joining Deputy Chairman Grace and army chief Constantine Chiwenga. Dr Chihuri obtained his doctorate from Harare’s ‘Mount Carmel Institute of Business Intelligence’. Rector Mufaro Gunduza says his research was ‘beautiful’ (see: http://ewn.co.za/2015/08/04/Zimbabwes-police-chief-awarded-a-doctorate – Zim’s Police Chief Receives Doctorate). The Vigil is informed that his handwriting was also pretty good, with all the letters properly joined together between the lines.
• Some of us at the Vigil support a pastor in the Bulawayo area. He reports: ‘On 5 August 2015 around 2 pm, without warning, the Zimbabwe RepublicPolice in the company of the Deputy Sheriff arrived at the headman’s house on Willsgrove Farm with an eviction order and commanded the headman to move away and said that they were destroying the buildings. This farm is the property of a brick manufacturing company. As the senior police officer was talking to the old man the rest of his team rushed into the house and started throwing out the belongings. No sooner had they started than a bulldozer arrived and started to demolish the buildings. They did not only demolish the homestead but also three chicken houses that the headman had, containing about 2000 birds. The remaining live chickens were stuffed into sacks. The turkeys’ legs were tied and they were also shoved into sacks. Most of them suffocated. In addition puppies were also put into sacks and suffocated. They also towed the headman’s car away. It was found with no bonnet and a smashed windscreen. The headman had been living on the property for 27 years. After this they moved to another brick under iron homestead which they destroyed and took property such as fridges which were taken to an unknown destination. They targeted the four leaders of the community first. After that they started on the other homesteads. There was a lot of crying among the people: women and men and children.’ For the full report see our campaigns page: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/708-pastors-eviction-report

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

 FOR THE RECORD: 35 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

• Next Swaziland Vigil. Saturday 22^nd August from 10 am to 1 pm outside the Swaziland High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB.
• Zimbabwe Yes We Can meeting. Saturday 29^thAugust July at 12 noon. Venue: The Theodore Bullfrog, 26-30 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HL.
• Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds monthly meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.
• Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF). Saturday 5^th September from 6.15 pm. From theVigil it’s about a 10 minute walk, in the direction away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The entrance is marked by a sign at street level. It’s between a newsagent and an optician. Nearest underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn.
• Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF) meets regularly after the Vigil to discuss ways to help those back in Zimbabwe to fight oppression and achieve true democracy.
• Vigil’s Itai Dzamara Protest. Saturday 12^th September from 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. The protest is to mark 6 months since Dzamara’s abduction by the CIO.
• The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.
• Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2014 can be viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/642-zimbabwe-vigil-highlights-2014. Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2014 Highlights page.
• Facebook pages:

Vigil: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8157345519&ref=ts

ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515

ROHR: https://www.facebook.co/pages/ROHR-Zimbabwe-Restoration-of-Human-Rights/301811392835

• SW Radio Africa’s website and sound archive is being hosted on www.archive.org. Go to the site and type in swradioafrica which will link you to snapshots of their site over the years and at the top of that page a link to their website where, under podcasts, you will find the audio.