By Agencies
SCORES of Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom (UK) held a protest Friday against the continued detention of opposition activists and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s upcoming assumption of office as chairperson of regional bloc, Southern African Development Community (SADC)
The protesters delivered a petition to the Britain’s newly-elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer to pile pressure on Mnangagwa’s government to release the jailed opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) activists.
Speaking during the march, Dickson Chikwizo, one of the protesters pleaded with SADC to block handing over the chairmanship to Mnangagwa.
“SADC, we plead with you do not give the chairmanship to ED Mnangagwa. You said the 2023 August elections were sham elections and hence now we, the citizens of Zimbabwe, are worried.
“You seem to be forgetting this report which stated clearly that those elections were stolen,” Chikwizo said.
Chikwizo added: “May you please help us, we do have our Senator Jameson Timba in jail for no reason. He did not commit any crime, so we plead with you, we are in dire need of your help.
“We have sent a petition to the British prime minister for the same cause, if you come to Zimbabwe and give the chairmanship to Mnangagwa that means you have disregarded our plea,” Chikwizo said.
Another protestor, Basil Kamombe weighed in saying awarding Mnangagwa the chairperson role will be sanitising illegitimacy.
“SADC if you give the chairmanship to ED Mnangagwa, you are sanitising illegitimacy that needs to be stopped,” Kamombe said.
Josephine Mudimbu also questioned why SADC was treating Mnangagwa with kid’s gloves and failing to challenge his illegitimate incumbency.
“If SADC has written in black and white that the elections were stolen, why are they being lenient on Mnangagwa?
“It was also said that he is an illegitimate President, why are we still celebrating him as President yet he stole the elections? It is high time SADC should respect the populace of Zimbabwe; people are not happy.”
The demonstration was organised by various opposition parties and pressure groups like ZAPU, the CCC UK, Restoration of Human Rights (Rohr), Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO), and other activists in the diaspora.
