via Thank you Khama: Vigil | The Zimbabwean 04.02.14 by Zimbabwe Vigil
A delegation took time out from the Vigil to go across London to the Botswana High Commission to deliver a letter of thanks to President Ian Khama for denouncing SADC’s endorsement of Zimbabwe’s rigged elections.
“Exiled Zimbabweans at the Zimbabwe Vigil in London were heartened to read that Botswana will refuse to participate in future SADC observer missions because of SADC’s acceptance of vote rigging in Zimbabwe’s elections last July. We agreed with your comment on Botswana national television that the elections were neither free nor fair and that SADC has breached its own election guidelines by letting Zimbabwe ‘off the hook’. Like you we fear that this makes it difficult to expect other SADC countries to abide by the election guidelines,” says the letter.“The voters’ roll is the smoking gun to the election rigging by Mugabe. It was expected to be released at least one month before the elections but now, six months after the elections, its release is apparently not urgent! Mugabe has clearly decided to sit on it: he is a chicken who has laid a square egg.” The Vigil is sending a copy of this letter to the current chair of SADC, President Joyce Banda of Malawi. We are taking the opportunity of drawing SADC’s attention to the 2014 report of Human Rights Watch. The report says SADC and the AU have ‘weakened international efforts to ensure restoration of the rule of law and respect for human rights’ in Zimbabwe by endorsing the July elections.
But in truth the Vigil does not expect much from President Banda who has enlisted the help of the discredited Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to secure her re-election in May.
There was a lively meeting of the bi-monthly Zimbabwe Action Forum after the Vigil. Among the matters discussed was a campaign to secure the diaspora’s right to vote in Zimbabwe’s elections. It is reassuring that our meetings are considered of such interest that the CIO bothers to attend.
The Vigil was pleased at the wide publicity given for our demonstration outside Chatham House against the visit to London by a Zanu (PF)-backed delegation of Zimbabwean business leaders. It was rated by the Zimbabwe Situation website as their most read story of the week. – www.zimvigil.co.uk
Back to Home page
