Give Grace a million dollars – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary

But then comes the sad case of Grace Mugabe’s million dollar diamond. The poor woman was conned. She says she paid up but the Lebanese businessman didn’t deliver. This is simply not supposed to happen to her.

Zimbabweans en masse have been conned for 37 years so we must sympathise with her predicament. Especially as it was such a romantic idea of the President to give her a ring to mark 20 years of wedded bliss.

And as Grace noted: ‘This was hard-earned money saved over the years . . . It’s a lot of sacrifice that my husband did from our farming and dairy business.’

It certainly must have been some sacrifice: getting up before dawn every day to milk the cows. And then there’s the ploughing to do . . . No wonder the old man falls asleep when he gets to the office.

The Vigil has a brilliant suggestion: why doesn’t the 21^st February Movement use the million dollars it is raising for Mugabe’s 93^rd birthday bash at the Matopos to buy a ring from a non-Lebanese businessman? That way Grace could lose her ring and still have it! Better still, they could go to another Lebanese businessman and pay him with bond notes! That’ll serve these Lebanese right.

Mind you, the missing ring is only a symptom of the problem. The eating your cake syndrome affects all aspects of life in Zimbabwe. Only this week the deputy labour minister Tapiwa Matangaidze insisted that the government would not sack any employees despite them costing more than 90% of government revenues.

He agreed the salary bill was unsustainable but said the answer was ‘natural attrition’. As workers died off they would not be replaced. He didn’t explain what would happen to the ghost workers. Wouldn’t there just be more of them?

But nothing is beyond the hutzpah of a government which can seize Chinese assets and then go to Beijing and ask them to give us more cake.

Thanks to those who came early to help set up: Fungayi Mabhunu, Phillip Mahlahla, Alice Majola, Theodora Mandishaya, Roseline Mukucha, Alfredy Mukuvare, Esther Munyira, Xavier Murape, Patience Muyeye, Pretty Okechukwu, Sicelesile Phiri, Rumbidzayi Sambana, Maxmus Savanhu and Zenzo Siziba. Thanks to Roseline, Esther, Pretty and Cathrine Musa for looking after the front table, to Nontokozo, Ncube, Rumbidzayi and Heather Makawa for handing out flyers and selling wristbands and to Phillip, Alfredy, Maxmus and Xavier for putting up the banners.

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website. The facebook page for our sister organisation Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) (https://www.facebook.com/ROHR-Zimbabwe-Restoration-of-Human-Rights-301811392835) has been hijacked by destructive elements from a group calling itself ZHRO. Please be advised that any postings on this page are not posted by ROHR.

FOR THE RECORD: 34 signed the register.

 EVENTS AND NOTICES:

• ROHR Central London branch meeting. Saturday 21^st January from 11.30 am – 1.30 pm. Venue: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Contact: Daisy Fabian 07708653640, Maxmus Savanhu 07397809056, Sipho Ndlovu 07400566013.
• ROHR Southampton branch meeting. Saturday 21^st January 2017 from 12 noon – 1 pm for committee meeting and from 1 – 3 pm for general members meeting. Venue: Eastleigh Library, Swan Shopping and Leisure Centre, Swan Centre, Eastleigh SO50 5SF. Contact: Ben Semwayo (Chair) 07401611932, Grace Rukure (Secretary) 07462103397 and Reuben Waretza (Publicity and Advocacy) 07946 607 617.
• 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.
• Swaziland Vigil. Saturday 21^st January from 10 am to 1 pm outside the Swaziland High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB.
• Monthly Itai Dzamara protest Saturday 11^th February. From 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy. The protest is to mark twenty-third months since Itai’s abduction by intelligence agents.
• 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.
• Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.
• Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2016 can be viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/843-zimbabwe-vigil-highlights-2016. Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2016 Highlights page.
• Facebook pages:
  Vigil: https://www.facebook.com/zimbabwevigil
  ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515