A sunny early Spring day and an open-top red London bus, festooned with Zimbabwean flags, banners and posters denouncing murder, torture and rape under the Mugabe regime; it was a heady combination and with the top deck crowded with singers and drummers, it certainly turned many heads as it drove around central London for five hours on Wednesday, 26 February. The occasion was the delivery of a petition calling on the UN Security Council to send a team to investigate human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The petition was signed by close on 16,000 passers-by who stopped to support the protest vigil outside the Zimbabwe High Commission, held every Saturday from 12.00 to 18.00 since last October. 16,000 signatures may not sound a lot compared to some widely-distributed petitions – but it meant a person signing every twenty seconds or so during the vigils.

About 60 of us – including supporters from Scotland, Bedfordshire, Coventry, Hertfordshire and Southend – set off raucously from the High Commission on our bus tour with much blowing of whistles and banging of drums. First stop was the House of Commons to present a copy of the petition to Clare Short, Secretary of State for International Development, who – together with a number of other MPs from both the main parties – had agreed to receive us in the historic lobby of the House, despite an important debate that day on Iraq.

Ms Short paid rapt attention to Ephraim Tapa, chairman of MDC UK’s Central London Branch, who handed over the petition on behalf of a group of six torture survivors. Mr Tapa told her, “There is no argument, no history, no post-colonial baggage, no politics or rhetoric that can explain or justify what has happened to myself and my compatriots here today. There are countless more in Zimbabwe who have not had the good fortune to escape from Mugabe’s reach, who live and die in fear and humiliation every day.” Mr Tapa pointed out that more than 3 million Zimbabweans have been forced into exile by deliberate starvation, state-sanctioned violence, murder, torture and rape – all to maintain Mugabe’s political power. He added that support for the Zanu-PF regime by some members of the non-aligned movement and the Commonwealth was utterly disgusting and misguided.

In her reply, Ms Short promised to do all in her power to work for change in Zimbabwe and said she was confident that this would come soon. But, beyond these words, it was the interest and concern that she showed that impressed the 40 or so Zimbabweans who had left the bus to deliver the petition. She spoke privately to the torture survivors, putting her arm around one young woman who recounted her story, and the meeting went on for much longer than scheduled.

After this it was light relief to rejoin the bus for a riotous journey through central London and down Oxford Street, packed as usual with shoppers from all over the world. By now our bus driver was no longer the anxious man he had been at the start: he had come to realise that all the hooting behind him was because of a poster on the back of the bus “Toot to stop Mugabe”. As the bus made its slow way down Oxford Street surprised drivers and even cyclists had flyers thrust at them. Pedestrians smiled and waved – some of them risking life and limb to grab a flyer. One fellow looking very disapproving demanded who was in charge – only to hand over a £20 note. Down Park Lane we got a friendly wave from the world champion boxer Chris Eubank as he left an hotel.

On to the UN office at Millbank Tower, where people crowded to the windows to see the singing, dancing and drumming as we waited to present the petition. A UN representative, George Armstrong, told us the UN was aware of the urgency of the situation and promised the petition would be given high priority. Back to the bus and on to the Commonwealth Secretariat and then the South African High Commission, where demonstrators sang a rousing song demanding that President Mbeki do something about Zimbabwe. The High Commission staff seemed nonplussed – but visitors in Trafalgar Square were fascinated by the singing and dancing. Copies of the petition were also delivered to the Nigerian High Commission, to the office of the European Parliament and to the French Embassy. But, predictably, we were stonewalled at Zimbabwe House. Put it in the letterbox said the security man. A quick check established there was no letterbox. Well, the message had already been delivered!

Two-day mass action
You will have heard of the overwhelming response in Zimbabwe to the MDC’s call for a stayaway on 18/19 March. The MDC in Harare says the mass action had sent a strong and unequivocal message to the Mugabe regime that enough is enough. Zimbabweans in the UK demonstrated at special vigils outside the High Commission on both days. There was great public support and the High Commissioner must have earned overtime (if Zimbabwe can still afford to pay it). He couldn’t get out of the building for Zimbabweans singing songs denouncing himself and Mugabe. Various reports describe him as sneaking out of the building like a scared rabbit and being besieged in ZIM 1.

Just not cricket . . .
The Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition received a surprisingly courteous letter from Malcolm Gray, President of the International Cricket Council in response to our petition: “We urge the International Cricket Council to cancel the proposed World Cup matches in Zimbabwe. The situation there has deteriorated sharply since the matches were arranged. While the ICC may be satisfied that players and visitors will be safe, it is clear that the majority of Zimbabweans themselves are not. They are starved into submission by the deliberate creation of food shortages and are arrested, beaten, tortured and killed with impunity. The approval these matches would confer on Mugabe’s cruel and corrupt regime WILL strengthen his hand and dismay those committed to justice. It is the ICC’s moral responsibility to boycott Zimbabwe as a venue for World Cup cricket while Mugabe’s regime continues to engage in genocide. Cricket is more than a business.”

Mr Gray pointed out that “having World Cup matches in Zimbabwe has assisted in giving great international focus on Zimbabwe”. He added that, while in London last year, he had “attended the Zimbabwe Vigil outside the Zimbabwe High Commission”.

Interesting to see what an impact the Vigil is having. Only the other week one of our petitions was signed by the Hollywood film star and director, Tim Robbins (of the Shawshank Redemption etc). Not sure what happened to that page . . . . But Mr Gray has a point. To be honest, from a publicity point of view, we had the best of all worlds over the cricket: loads of coverage of the Zimbabwe situation, the drama of the England’s team’s decision not to play there, the bravery of Henry Olonga and Andy Flower – and the good showing by the Zimbabwe team.

Zimbabwe’s suspension from Commonwealth
The decision to continue Zimbabwe’s suspension from the Commonwealth (until at least the Commonwealth Summit in December) is a slap in the face not only for Mugabe but also for his friends, Mbeki of South Africa and Obasanjo of Nigeria, who had argued for Zimbabwe’s readmission . . . on the grounds that the situation had improved. Their attempts to brush human rights abuses in Zimbabwe under the carpet has not been accepted by other members of the Commonwealth.

Following the petition on the World Cup matches in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition ran the following petition to the Commonwealth Secretariat: “Human rights abuses in Zimbabwe are worsening under the Mugabe regime on a daily basis. There are increasing reports of murder, torture, rape and the political abuse of international food aid. We call upon the Commonwealth to keep Zimbabwe suspended until full democracy and human rights are restored to the people of Zimbabwe through free and fair internationally-monitored elections.”

Many hundreds of people signed the petition and it has been sent to the Commonwealth Secretariat with a letter asking them to continue the suspension when the decision comes up again in December (in the unlikely event that Mugabe has not gone by then). The vigil is still running the human rights petition and is preparing a new one calling on the newly-formed International Criminal Court to arrest and try Mugabe. The International Bar Association has already called on the court to prosecute Mugabe for serious violations of international law.

Scottish Vigil
MDC Scotland advises that “From 1 March 2003, MDC Scotland will be holding a fortnightly vigil at the Mount in Edinburgh. This will be on every second Saturday from 1130am to 1700hrs. The vigil is to complement the London vigil because we have realised that several of our members here would love to participate but they have problems travelling to London on a regular basis.” (See under branch activities for contacts if you want to participate.)

Demonstrations, 18 and 19 April
Zimbabweans and supporters from all over the UK are to stage a demonstration outside Zimbabwe House in London on Easter Saturday, 19 April. The demonstration marks Independence Day on 18 April and is in support of “regime change” in Harare. After Saddam comes Mugabe . . . The demonstration promises to be an exuberant affair with singing and dancing. It will coincide with the regular Saturday Vigil outside the High Commission. There is also a demonstration in Manchester on Good Friday, 18 April. All branches welcome at both demonstrations – please try to organise coaches. See below under forthcoming events for demonstrations and worldwide activities to mark Independence Day.

Split in South African Government?
While President Mbeki continues to argue that everything is alright in Zimbabwe, a different line has been taken by his Home Affairs Minister, Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Speaking to a visiting Zimbabwean minister, Kembo Mohadi, he referred to the “rapidly deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe’s democratic and institutional life” and expressed alarm about the tide of refugees. Mr Buthelezi asked what Zimbabwe planned to do to avert economic collapse and guarantee the freedom and safety of its citizens. For his part, Mr Mohadi said “There is no disorder in Zimbabwe. Everything there is just a figment of anybody’s imagination”.

Zanu-PF boycott
Following the MDC’s call to boycott businesses and banks run by people linked to Zanu-PF, there is to be a protest on 22 March outside a shop in Southend owned by the appropriately-named Stalin Mau Mau, who has been accused of human rights and other abuses. (See under forthcoming events for information.)

Paris in the wintertime
Mugabe may have thought he had scored something of a diplomatic triumph when he was allowed to visit Paris for the Francophone summit in February. But thanks largely to a group of activists from the Central London Branch, working with the veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell, it turned into something of an own goal. It was obvious that he was only invited because some of his African pals insisted on it. His reception by Chirac was cool and our protests in the streets of Paris collared the headlines – together with photographs of Grace’s usual shopping sprees.

The EU was forced to allow the visit to secure French agreement on extending for another year the travel ban on Mugabe and his cronies. But any hopes that Grace may have of being back in Europe to change her shoes are doomed: the ACP (African Caribbean and Pacific Group) was scheduled to have trade talks with the EU in Portugal in April, but it’s been made clear that the meeting will not go ahead if African leaders insist on Mugabe’s presence. The Europeans can simply pocket their money. Another Mugabe triumph!

French conciliatory
The day after the Paris demonstrations, a group of about 20 Zimbabwean protesters staged a demonstration outside the French Embassy in London. The Ambassador invited the leader of the group, Washington Ali of Southend Branch, inside for a 35 minute meeting in his office. Washington says the Ambassador appeared concerned at the evidence produced of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. The Ambassador explained that France had invited Mugabe to Paris to get African countries together to resolve the problems in the DRC and Rwanda. Nice try, but press reports say the Paris meeting was largely devoted to eating.

Zimbabwe on the Brink

A call to toughen sanctions against the Mugabe regime has come from Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the British Labour Party’s spokesperson for international development in the European Parliament.

She was speaking at a news conference at the House of Commons to mark the publication of a pamphlet she has written on Zimbabwe. Mrs Kinnock urged African nations to call Mugabe to account, and added that she believed times were changing. Her pamphlet has been endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said: “Glenys Kinnock has provided a sober and accurate assessment of the desperate situation in Zimbabwe and given quite practical suggestions for the way forward as a known and devoted friend of the people of Zimbabwe. The proposals are eminently implementable and I commend them warmly to all who have the best interests of Zimbabwe and Africa at heart to avert a looming catastrophe.”

Her report can be accessed on http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=6252. But here are her conclusions.

“The Mugabe regime has embarked on a course of economic and political suicide. Its leaders behave as if the international community – and its hard-pressed taxpayers – owe them a living. It once enjoyed international respect and legitimacy, and its people once enjoyed one of the best standards of living in Africa. It has now fallen to the bottom of the pile. But Zimbabwe’s fall from grace, its political repression, kleptocracy and its corruption, are not unique in Africa. The donor community must send out a message that mis-governance on this scale is not the basis for sustainable partnership. If the much-vaunted regional initiatives such as NEPAD are to succeed, they cannot escape being judged against all Africa’s problems, including Zimbabwe. The relevance of such initiatives in solving deeply entrenched and long standing problems is bound to be questioned if they prove ineffectual in halting avoidable crises. Africa’s failure to police its own back yard, in the case of Zimbabwe, has seriously damaged the cause of African development among voters and taxpayers in the West . . .

“So let’s be clear: Zimbabwe matters. It is at the heart of southern Africa’s regional economy. Properly governed, it has the human and material resources to act as a motor for regional development and poverty eradication. Badly governed, it has the ability to further impoverish or destabilise its neighbours. The regime has chosen the latter course and has failed. The time has come for its leaders to step aside.

“Dealing with the tragedy which is now Zimbabwe will require hard political choices within the country and the region. When the ZANU-PF leadership give us so much evidence that they do not want to see Zimbabwe grow and prosper, there is little that outsiders can do to stop it. If they do want to change, they must acknowledge the extent of the change required and act soon. If they fail to do so, the international community must increase the personal cost to those leaders and their supporters.

“There is an onus also on the countries of Southern Africa to make this happen. They hold the key, and they should publicly acknowledge the reality that liberation has been perverted into tyranny. Many of their leaders, we know, will be uneasy about taking a public stand, especially against those with “liberation” credentials. They prefer a “quick fix”. But Zimbabweans – and the people of the region – need leadership for the future, not the zealotry of leaders obsessed by the phantom ghosts of the past, or those who care more about political symbolism than they do about the poor.

“For the UK, the EU and the international community, the message is clear. We have engaged with the Mugabe regime many times in recent years in the hope that things could be turned around. This engagement was well-meaning, but has failed. The situation is desperate and the slide to disaster demands urgent action. The Mugabe regime, those who implement its policies and those who benefit from its corrupt misrule, may think that the international community will tire and eventually allow them back into the international fold on their terms. This must be refuted, confronted and prevented.”
Are we facing Genocide?

ZWNews recently engaged an independent human rights consultant to look at whether Zimbabwe is on the brink of genocide. Here is part of what he said: “Zimbabwe, recently assessed as one of the most oppressive states in the world, seems primed for just such a situation. This may seem a ridiculous claim when there have been comparatively few deaths so far from the conflict of the past three years, but, as will be seen below, it is less the deaths to date than the insidious pattern of organised violence and torture that leads to the concern about a potential genocide”

The consultant (whose name has been withheld) points out that, according to the organisation Genocide Watch, there are 8 stages in genocide. Here are the first 6 and an assessment:
• Classification: the population is ethnically classified and ZANU-PF has become an ethnic party.
• Symbolisation: Possession of ZANU-PF party membership cards is mandatory to avoid beatings by the Shona militias.
• Dehumanisation: President Mugabe refers to his opposition as "weeds," and has called on ZANU-PF to "go and uproot the weeds from your garden." In August, Vice President Msika declared: "Whites are not human beings".
• Organisation: the ZANU-PF Youth Brigades are militias being systematically trained and armed, taught Shona songs and organised like the militias that participated in the 1982-1983 genocidal massacres.
• Polarisation: President Mugabe regularly appeals to race and ethnicity, and refers to his opponents as "traitors" and "terrorists." Police have begun to arrest moderate leaders, including church leaders.
• Preparation: President Mugabe's latest moves to shut off Zimbabwe from monitoring by human rights groups, election monitors, and the press, and his new laws to criminalise anyone who criticises him, are ominous signs that he is planning at least massive election fraud. Enemy lists have been compiled by the state and party intelligence services, a sign that political and possibly ethnic violence and terror are being planned that President Mugabe wants to hide from outside scrutiny. Movement of a largely Shona Zimbabwe Army brigade into Matabeleland, and mob attacks on opposition party offices are ominous harbingers of potential mass violence.

Genocide Watch argues that these 6 stages have been reached in Zimbabwe, the final two being what they classify as extermination and denial.

The consultant concludes: “Independent information gathering and a number of indicators point strongly towards preparations for an ethnic cleansing operation. The Mugabe regime has already proved that it is capable of such an action through the Matabeleland massacre in the 1980’s, where thousands were slaughtered, and this episode in Zimbabwe’s history would strongly conform to the definition of genocide.

“The campaign of vilifying the opposition has been running since they were first formed in 1999. Zanu PF, basically a revolutionary party at heart, is playing the card of colonialism to full effect. Their revolutionary rhetoric appeals to the downtrodden, and consequently, at least amongst the security forces, there is something of a feeling that they are doing something unfortunate but necessary.

“This feeling is being carefully nurtured. The lawlessness over the past few years has forced people to become accustomed to violence, another important precursor to genocide. Once people are resigned to the occurrence of violence, the gradual escalation of such to include elimination of enemies can be carried out with minimal comment. State-sanctioned human rights violations have been steadily increasing over the last three years, and torture and beatings at the hands of police (or army) no longer provoke comment in most sectors of society. At the same time, fear of reprisal forces people to accept more and more extreme situations without comment.”

Morgan’s treason trial

Those who have not been able to follow the hilarious trial proceedings must hope that Hollywood will snap it up. It must be a sure bet for comedy of the year. Our competition: who will get to play the all-singing, all-dancing 105 year-old Bob? Robert Redford, Oprah Winfrey, Clint Eastwood, Sydney Poitier? Prize: free drinks at the High Commission shebeen (Fridays only).