Good measure pressed down, shaken together will overflow. Woking Branch’s first birthday on the 8th of May 2010 was celebrated in style. It was a come and see for yourself event. The cake was cut, Raffle prizes won and the food was plenty. Everyone was rubbing their hands waiting in anticipation when the national Chairman Mr Nedie was about to perform an electric borrowdale dance but was let down by the jealous sound system that failed to perform.
To kick start the event, Christina Dedza, opened with a word of prayer before the branch Chairman for Woking Mr Isaac Mudzamiri took the stage. Before giving his speech he thanked members and visitors present, made some introductions and expressed his appreciation for the presence of the whole National Executive committee for coming to support Woking’s first anniversary.
Mr Mudzamiri said that, 2008 was ‘annus horribilis’ (horrible year) in Zimbabwe’s history. Companies were shutdown, people were killed, raped, tortured, beaten up and yet no justice has been done. He also spoke about the corruption and how inflation rocketed to a world record high during that period.
Quoting a speech made by Robert Mugabe during 2008 presidential elections campaign, ‘Constitution doesn’t vote! A gun is mightier than a pen! The opposition will lead the country to war’. Mudzamiri said that Mugabe’s notorious behaviour has not changed and human rights in Zimbabwe keep on being violated.
Over the years, Mugabe has incited violence in his speeches but there is no moment the POSA act is applicable to him. This is true injustice.
“Can you imagine?” Mudzambiri mourned, ‘How can a president of a nation give a commercial farm to Sizzla for performing at his birthday party. Surely Zimbabwe can’t agree to that, was this in agreement with the coalition government?’
Before passing the time to Mr Tich Mutyambizi, Mudzambiri addressed Tsvangirai as dishing a catalogue of lies when he globe trots and tells people that Zimbabwe is now ripe for investors and secure for a safe return for Zimbabweans abroad.
Mr Mutyambizi saluted Mr Mudzamiri’s speech, and stressed that history is the best teacher. As usual, he spoke about human rights advocacy and what it entails to be a human rights activist.
He stressed that Mr Tsvangirai’s call for Zimabweans to come back home is premature. “Has he established any jobs? Has he established a budget to pay salaries for civil servants not the allowances he is paying them? Has justice been done to human rights perpetrators? What guarantees are in place for the safe return of those abroad? He urged that the best thing we can do as human rights activists is to keep fighting for peace, justice and freedom to take hold in Zimbabwe.
Mr Tapa introduced the National Chairman Billie Nedie who enthusiastically took the stage. “It’s hard to believe that Woking is only one year old. They have worked so hard in the past 12 months and what they achieved is what we can all see here today,” he said. He also thanked the branch for donating clothes for human rights victims in Zimbabwe. The three massive bags full of donated clothes also marked the branch’s anniversary and were to be shipped to Zimbabwe in a few days time.
Mr Nedie invited all members to understand that Zimbabwe doesn’t have separation of power but that power resides with one party and one person, that is, ZANU PF and Robert Mugabe. He said that even though there was a coalition government, everything still revolved around Mugabe. ‘If Mugabe is not there cabinet meetings can’t be held’ and he lamented that Mr Tsvangirai was not even allowed to stand in for Mugabe although on paper he was the deputy Cabinet Chair.” He referred to the just ended UK elections saying the elections were peaceful, fair and free, ‘no one was beaten up for supporting any party’.
He also stated that, recent studies in Zimbabwe show that, only shops in the towns are the ones with food stuffs on the shelves. People in the rural areas are failing to get basic food commodities and some of them have never seen what the US dollar looked like. “How can this be fair?” he asked.
In conclusion, the ROHR President Mr Ephraim Tapa, said his appreciation of Woking Branch’s commitment. Speaking about situation in Zimbabwe he said the situation had not changed and that if anything it was getting worse in the sense that, ‘the richer were getting richer, while the poor, poorer’. In apparent reference to PM Morgan Tsvangirai’s much heralded statement; ‘Mugabe is part of the solution in Zimbabwe’, Mr Tapa argued that Mugabe was the problem and not the solution. The President went on say that the inclusive government had failed to deliver and that all indicators were now pointing to another election either in 2011 or 2012. Mr Tapa reiterated that Mugabe’s instruments of violence were still intact and that he would deploy the same violent and fraudulent strategies to steal the election. He warned that come the next election, there would be unprecedented violence and even more bloodshed, with or without a new constitution. It was for this reason that he encouraged all gathered to genuinely participate in the cause of human rights as advocated by ROHR Zimbabwe.
On national healing and reconciliation, Mr Tapa said the people’s hearts still hurt and bleed over what happened over the years. Some lost their families, some incurred disabilities for life, some were displaced from their homes, some took refuge in foreign lands all as a result of state sponsored violence, yet the perpetrators are still walking free in the streets of Zimbabwe. He said by fighting for the restoration of human rights, diaspora Zimbabweans would be helping to create a conducive environment in their country so we could return to a peaceful, democratic and just Zimbabwe.
Mr Billy Machekano, Information and Publicity Secretary made an announcement inviting all ROHR members to report to the Information and Publicity Department UK for any prosecutions, abuses, victimisation and torture that may happen to their families and friends back home. He said that interviews would be done to verify the alleged abuses before being published in line with our name and shame strategy.
Mr Mudzambiri finished by thanking the Woking committee, the event coordinators (Jermaine Volkwyn and Sithokozile Hlokama) and the kitchen staff (Christine Dedza and Sibongile Sihwa) for the hard work. Mr Tapa then led the national anthem, Ishe Komborera Africa before Mr Nedie closed with a prayer.
Raffle Presenter: Rodah Kuhlengisa and Eliza aka Mickey Volkwyn
Raffle Winners:
1st prize: Rushy Dedza – ticket 452
2nd prize: Pamela Dunduru – ticket 402
3rd prize: Saziso Zulu – ticket 437
