By Nelson Chamisa
1. As a Citizen movement, we extend appreciation and respect to the people and Government of the Republic of South Africa for the warmth, hospitality, and solidarity extended to African nationals in South Africa, who are in circumstances of need, exposure, and vulnerability.
2. South Africa is our neighbour, our kith and keen, our historic partner, and a nation whose freedom struggle is inexplicably conjoined to ours as Zimbabweans. We do not only share borders and history, we share a common future and a common destiny.More than that, we share similar challenges, and common problems, which would require our collective common wisdom to locate exit points to the same.
3. Our nations share history, borders, culture, and the values of Ubuntu/Unhu, humanity and mutual care. The path forward is not to turn neighbour against neighbour, but to build communities where everyone can live without fear and where the law protects all. Together, we can live and work side-by-side as fellow Africans, committed to peace, unity, stability, development, values and shared prosperity.
4. We need a New Africa based on a strong union under the United Nations of Africa. Africa must have one currency,one border, one visa, one language, one peace force and one government. This must be founded upon strong regional bodies such as SADC, ECOWAS, EAC, COMESA, to mention but a few.
5. We anchor our inspiration on the principle of African solutions to African problems, being the soul of African solidarity. We can not allow Berlin Conference borders dictated to us in Europe, Berlin, in Germany to be the basis of our separation and reason to our artificial, contrived, and misbegotten divisions. We dare refuse and reject this unmerited gift of history and reframe the contours and dignity of our Africanness,
6. We also extend our empathy and solidarity to African nationals living in South Africa—workers, students, entrepreneurs, faith communities, and families—who contribute positively to the society and economy of the host nation as well as their source nations.
7. In particular, we extend our love and encouragement to fellow Zimbabweans in South Africa, who are there on account of push factors in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans in South Africa are not there on account of luxury or choice but they are there by reason of the untenable political, economic, and social situation in Zimbabwe.
8. Zimbabwe faces a gigantic crisis occasioned by a gigantic fraud in elections. The Zimbabwe crisis is a crisis of disputed and discredited national processes. A point reiterated and concluded by SADC in their 2023 electoral observer mission report.
9. Migration is rarely a first choice. Many Zimbabweans seek opportunities outside their own country because of economic hardship, limited employment opportunities, currency and cost-of-living pressures, and the desire to secure education, safety, and dignity for their families. Many are driven by the simple human need to survive and to work honestly. This harsh reality must be understood if we are to respond with humanity and civility rather than hostility.
10. For this reason, we are deeply concerned by the rise in anti-migrant sentiment, Xenophobic disposition, Afrophobic negativity and Zimphobic toxicity.
11. We condemn acts of humiliation, intimidation, harassment, and violence targeting foreign nationals, especially African migrants.We condemn, without equivocation , any acts of lawlessness, violence, vigilantism, or incitement to hatred.
12. We call upon Zimbabweans living in South Africa to be exemplary guests and responsible residents as ambassadors of Zimbabwean pride, civility and excellence.Zimbabweans must be known for peace, cooperation, respect, and hard work, not for conflict or criminal activities.
13. We also call on all leaders at all levels, political, traditional, religious, civic, and business, to reject rhetoric that inflames anger. Responsible leadership must de-escalate tensions, not exploit hardship for political gain.
14. More fundamentally, more must be done from the Zimbabwean side to support and ameliorate the predicament Zimbabwean Citizens find themself in. On my part, true to the call of duty, I will be engaging South African authorities and stakeholders to emphasize the finding of a lasting solution to the problems bedevelling our nation, region and our continent. We must resolve the national question. We must stop the CAB3 tomfoolery and the one party state tyranny temptation. There must be an everlasting national and constitutional settlement solution in Zimbabwe. The vicious cycle of conflict, instability, and rigged elections must end. 3
15. We call upon SADC not to be found wanting or be absent without official leave in such desperate circumstances of the dire need of leadership. The necessary organs of SADC must be activated and set in motion to address the root causes and not just the symptoms of the challenges affecting the region. The Zimbabwean problem that is before SADC must be resolved with immediacy and efficacy.
