Expel British farm looter – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 17th October 2015

via Expel British farm looter – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 17th October 2015 18 October 2015

The Zimbabwe Vigil has called on the British authorities to take action against a UK doctor who is attempting to seize a farm in Zimbabwe. It is the latest incident in which Zimbabwean exiles given refuge in the UK have revealed the hypocrisy evidenced in the growth of Zanu PF activities in Britain.

Here is a letter we are sending to the Nottingham North and East Clinical Commissioning Group of the National Health Service:

Dear Commissioning Group

We wish to inform you of the lawless attempt being made by a Nottingham GP to seize a farm in Zimbabwe.

Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro of the Willows Medical Centre in Church Street, Carlton, and his wife Veronica, apparently the practice manager, visited the farm near Harare last month and ordered out the owner Philip Rankin. Dr Nyatsuro claimed that the Zimbabwean authorities had told him he could have the farm, even though he had been resident in England for the past 13 years. (Dr Nyatsuro is reported to be related to President Mugabe’s wife Grace.) See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/11930068/British-doctor-with-links-to-Robert- -seizes-white-farm.html.

Mr Rankin has since then been besieged in his farmhouse, threatening the ruin of his tobacco crop worth up to £240,000. He obtained a High Court order on 12^th October banning the invaders from the property but the following day Mrs Nyatsuro was back with a busload of reinforcements, in defiance of the High Court.

Mr Rankin bought the farm after Independence with the consent of the Mugabe authorities but since then they have encouraged the takeover of white-owned farms without compensation. This has led to the collapse of agriculture and growing poverty. The UK and the US have recently pledged £30 million in new food relief but this will still leave widespread hunger.

The Zimbabwe Vigil urges the Commissioning Group to investigate this matter and take appropriate action. We understand that Dr Nyatsuro came to the UK in 2003 when the farm seizures were at their height and has become a British citizen.

We are sending copies of this to the General Medical Council and the Department of Health as well as the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

When the Vigil sends a copy of this letter to the Home Office we will also tell them that we wish to withdraw our support for the asylum application of one individual. We will explain that since our support letter was written two years ago it has become clear that this person does not share our aims.

Other points

·       The letter about Dr Nyatsuro was approved at a meeting of the Zimbabwe Action Forum held after the Vigil. Speakers expressed disgust at his hypocrisy and wondered what his patients thought of his racism. It was decided that we would give them a chance to have their say by holding a demonstration at his clinic. One suggestion was that the doctor should be asked what his attitude would be if his clinic was seized by an ‘indigenous’ British person connected to the governing Conservative party at a day’s notice without compensation (he would be allowed to take his stethoscope away with him). Details of the demonstration will follow in the next few days.

·       Thanks to Edna Mdoka and Fungayi Mabhunu who came early to help set up. Thanks also to the ROHR Reading branch which held its meeting ahead of the Vigil at a venue near to the Embassy so they could support us today. Shylette Chipangura and Deborah Harry of the Reading branch brought delicious food which was sold to fundraise for ROHR

For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website.

FOR THE RECORD: 34 signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

·       Nottingham Demonstration against racist Zimbabwean doctor. Details to be advised.

·       ROHR Middlesbrough branch general meeting. Saturday 31^st October from 2 – 5 pm. Venue: Teesside University Student Centre, Clarendon Building, Middlesbrough TS1 3BA. For more information please contact Angeline Huni (Chairperson) on 07871367239 Levinia S Ncube (Secretary) 07404772407, Ndumiso Ncube (Organising Secretary) 07532080247.

·       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.

·       Next Swaziland Vigil. Saturday 31^st October from 10 am to 1 pm outside the Swaziland High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB.

·       Zimbabwe Yes We Can meeting. Saturday 7^th November at 12 noon. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. For directions see below.

·       Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds monthly meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.

·       Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF). Saturday 7^th November from 6.15 pm. Venue: Strand Continental Hotel (first floor lounge), 143 Strand, London WC2R 1JA. From the Vigil it’s about a ten minute walk, in the direction away from Trafalgar Square. The Strand Continental is situated on the south side of the Strand between Somerset House and the turn off onto Waterloo Bridge. The entrance is marked by a sign at street level. It’s between a newsagent and an optician. Nearest underground: Temple (District and Circle lines) and Holborn.

·       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.

·       Monthly Itai Dzamara protest. Saturday 7^th November from 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. The protest is to mark eight months since Dzamara’s abduction by intelligence agents.

·       ROHR National Southern Region Fundraiser. Saturday 14^th November from 6 – 11 pm. Venue:  As Asia, 227 High Street, Slough, West Berkshire SL1 1BN. Theme: African / Western ‘Dress To Kill’. Tickets:   £25 per adult, free entry for children under 5 years. Hosted by ROHR Slough Branch. Contact: Patricia Masamba () and Fungisai Mupandira ()

·       Zimbabwe Vigil Highlights 2014 can be viewed on this link: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/642-zimbabwe-vigil-highlights-2014. Links to previous years’ highlights are listed on 2014 Highlights page.

·       Facebook pages:

Vigil: https://www.facebook.com/zimbabwevigil

ZAF: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zimbabwe-Action-Forum-ZAF/490257051027515

ROHR: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ROHR-Zimbabwe-Restoration-of-Human-Rights/301811392835