via Zanu PF swaggers in UK – Zimbabwe Vigil Diary: 7th November 2015 08 November 2015
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zimbabwevigil/22872092495/sizes/m/
Attempts to disrupt the Vigil as we embark on our 14th year are linked we believe to a growing Zanu PF mafia in the UK. It is clear that some Zimbabweans who have settled here are unrepentant Mugabe supporters who are in Britain only because they have destroyed Zimbabwe and seek new fields to loot.
While the Vigil is busy challenging a a British GP who is trying to take over a farm in Zimbabwe we ourselves are under siege from a determined group who are seeking to profit from the asylum industry. They are trying to hijack our brand for their own purposes and have ready allies in deceitful online outfits such as Zimeye.com.
At a meeting of the Zimbabwe Action Forum (ZAF) after the Vigil we discussed the problem of dodgy legal representatives feeding off vulnerable asylum seekers. One person who calls himself ‘Dr Masimba Mavaza’ was mentioned by several people. Elementary checks on the man described by Zimeye as ‘one of the UK’s best immigration lawyers’ revealed the following: 19 January 2011 STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE FOR JUDICIAL COMPLAINTS – ‘MR MASIMBA MAVAZA A spokesperson for the Office for Judicial Complaints said: “Mr Masimba Mavaza, a magistrate appointed to the Corby Bench, failed to inform the Advisory Committee of his arrest for fraud by false representation. A conduct investigation by the local Advisory Committee found that Mr Mavaza had not demonstrated the qualities of good character and sound judgment and recommended that he should be removed from the magistracy. As a result, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice have removed Mr Mavaza from the magistracy.’ (http://judicialconduct.judiciary.gov.uk/documents/Magistrate_Mr_Masimba_Mavaza_-_OJC_Investigation_Statement_0111.pdf).
The Vigil is not an asylum organisation but it advises supporters pursuing asylum cases to use only legal advisors recommended by our friends, the Zimbabwe Association, a registered charity which has long experience in this field. For their contact details see ‘Refugee Information’ in the left hand menu on the front page of our website.
Talking about legal affairs, we notice that the wife of Nottingham GP Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro is happy to splash out money on lawyers in an attempt to muzzle the media about Dr Nyatsuro’s attempt to take over a farm in Zimbabwe which was bought in the 1980s by a Zimbabwean citizen Philip Rankin. We notice that a report on the siege of the farm by Mrs Nyatsuro and her thugs has been dropped from the website of the British Daily Telegraph. However the article is available on our website, see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/732-british-doctor-with-links-to-robert-mugabe-seizes-white-farm–oct-14-2015. The British Times newspaper also published the story. It still appears on their website but with the disclaimer: ‘This article is the subject of a legal complaint from Mrs Veronica Nyatsuro’.
Despite the Nyatsuros’ legal threats, which many of our supporters have experienced, we would like to let them know that we will be outside their clinic again on Friday 13th November to inform Dr Nyatsuro’s patents of his appalling greed as a British citizen in seeking to dispossess a Zimbabwean citizen of his legally bought farm when the GP has no apparent intention himself of going there to work the land.
Other points
· At the Vigil today we marked eight months since the abduction by state intelligence agents of the Harare human rights activist Itai Dzamara. Sister Bev Mutadiro led prayers for him and remembered particularly his wife and children.
· Wednesday 11th November marks the 50th anniversary of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the Smith colonial government in Rhodesia. They were afraid of blacks eventually taking power so broke their links with Britain. Rose and Dennis Benton, who helped start the Vigil and have attended ever since were close observers of these events. Dennis explains in an article on the Vigil campaigns page why they became involved in the Vigil. See Apologia UDI: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/731-50th-anniversary-of-udi.
· Thanks to Humphrey Dube and Emmaculate Tshuma for arriving early to help set up.
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: 29 signed the register.
EVENTS AND NOTICES:
· Nottingham Demonstration against racist Zimbabwean doctor. Friday 13th November from 12 noon – 3 pm. Venue: outside The Willows Medical Centre, Church Street, Carlton, Nottingham NG4 1RJ.
· ROHR National Southern Region Fundraiser. Saturday 14th 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 ().
· 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 14th November from 10 am to 1 pm outside the Swaziland High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB.
· Monthly Itai Dzamara protest. Saturday 6th December from 2 – 6 pm outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London. The protest is to mark nine months since Dzamara’s abduction by intelligence agents.
· Zimbabwe Yes We Can Movement holds monthly meetings in London as the political face of ROHR and the Vigil.
· 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.
· 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
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