Zimbabweans Deliver Letter to British Prime Minister – Friday, 28th July

Sunday, July 30 2006 @ 02:05 AM BSTContributed by: zimvigil
Vigil supporters turned out in strength to support an initiative by young Zimbabweans based in Brighton to lobby the Prime Minister about the dreadful situation at home. The group, Free-Zim Youth, presented a letter (see below) at 10 Downing Street warning Mr Blair not to be deceived by Mugabe’s appointment of former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa as a mediator between Britain and the UK. They said the cause of Zimbabwe’s problems was not a dispute between London and Harare but a problem between Mugabe and Zimbabweans. They explained their position in a letter published in The Times yesterday (see: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-2286975.html).Some 80 people gathered outside the Zimbabwe Embassy before descending on Downing Street toy-toying and singing. “Exactly what we asked you not to do” our Police escort said ruefully. We apologised, explaining, “It just happened”. (The truth.) Anyway, we didn’t knock over any tourists in our progress and, on a scorching day, we provided an alternative spectacle to the Horse Guards as we passed down Whitehall. It was such an exuberant day we were even pleased to have our faithful East European critic with us, (“You are wasting your time!” he repeated for the 100th time.) Well none of us thought we were wasting our time, drawing the attention of the British government and people to Mugabe’s desperate manoeuvres. As our young friends from Brighton, Alois Mbawara Phiri and Wellington Chibanguza, said, “We are desperate to go home and rebuild our country”. Ephraim Tapa, a Vigil leader, paid tribute to the Brighton boys’ efforts and joined them in expressing distress at the scandal unfolding this week of a Zimbabwean at the Home Office allegedly taking bribes to help illegal immigrants (see: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006340676,00.html). This individual has been lurking on the fringes of the Vigil as indeed have many CIO people. Free-Zim Youth, with all their idealism, were distraught that the traditional honesty so central to Zimbabwean culture had been compromised. But we all agreed that perhaps the message from today was that Zimbabweans in the UK had put aside any small differences to join together to save our country. “LETTER TO THE PM: We are young Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom. We were forced into exile by the regime of Robert Mugabe and long for the day when we can return home and join in the rebuilding of Zimbabwe. We speak for our brothers and sisters still living back home whose voices are silenced by violence and fear under the Zanu PF rule of terror. We want to let you know that we have no faith in the so-called process of mediation between Zimbabwe and the UK recently announced at the African Union meeting in Banjul. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa have either conspired with Robert Mugabe or been hoodwinked into the appointment of Ben Mkapa the former President of Tanzania as mediator between our two countries. We want to assure you that the people of Zimbabwe don’t have an argument with the people of the UK or with your government; our struggle is against the tyranny and corruption of Robert Mugabe’s regime. Ben Mkapa was hand-picked by Robert Mugabe. He has made many statements expressing support for Robert Mugabe even going so far as to praise the economic policies that have led to our people dying beneath the burden of 1200% inflation. Ben Mkapa deliberately misleads the people of Africa by stating that there are sanctions against Zimbabwe. This is not true. The sanctions imposed by the EU are against the clique of Zanu PF party leaders and collaborators who deny our fundamental freedoms and it is their greed for power that has brought Zimbabwe to ruins. We support the measures that you have taken against the men and women who are destroying Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe will never listen to the democratically expressed voice of the people of Zimbabwe. Through the ballot box we have tried to tell him that it is time for him to go but he tears up our messages and fills the boxes with love-letters to himself. Prime Minister, as young Zimbabweans we ask you to join us in exposing the appointment of Ben Mkapa as mediator by Robert Mugabe as yet another propaganda offensive designed to divert attention from his own failure. We ask you to challenge leaders of African nations to dismiss the Mkapa process of mediation as false. For the sake of our country and our continent the time has come for the leaders of the African Union to be honest, face up to reality and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Zimbabwe in our struggle for liberation from Mugabe’s regime. When you meet African leaders please add your voice to ours and tell them that we, the young people who are the future of Zimbabwe, demand that they isolate Robert Mugabe who has betrayed us and show their solidarity with us the people of Zimbabwe.”For photos of the protest: http://uk.msnusers.com/ZimbabweVigil/shoebox.msnw.The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights by the current regime in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk