(HERALD ZW) Harrowing experience at SA’s Lindela camp
Sunday, 16 June 2013 00:00
Henry Tawanda
The hatred of foreigners reared its ugly head recently as thousands of Zimbabweans were stranded at the notorious Lindela detention facility in Krugersdorp in South Africa.
Angry police details shouting profanities at absent presidents Joyce Banda, Robert Mugabe, Joseph Kabila and others of countries in Africa bundled this writer together with several other foreigners into a police truck and dumped at a police station for three days regardless that it was a Sunday, Monday being a working day! The arrests were done with peerless verve and passion reminiscent of the apartheid spirit that manifested hatred and an air of superiority albeit the arresting officers being black!
Apartheid was the system of segregation used by De Klerk, Piki Botha and their police and army cronies whose interests was a narrow hatred of Africans and their skin regardless of their education, social class or overall contribution to the economy.
From around May police from Rustenberg, Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein - basically the whole of South Africa moved around in intimidating fashion, from riding on horse back to police scrimmaging using trucks, armed to the teeth, preying on desperate and hard-working foreigners they could see at gates of homesteads, workplaces and malls.
The officers would immediately pull guns, search and shut victims into trucks without charging or fully informing them of their rights. These police details were on a serious mission as 90 percent of the inmates this writer interviewed protested that they had been bundled from complexes and informal workplaces despite informing the authorities they had documents at their houses.
They spent needless days holed up in police cells and were only released on the day their papers arrived. Those whose papers were not in order find themselves trekking to the infamous Lindela deportation facility.
Further to the mere inconvenience of detention, it seems only the lucky people left the mind-numbing institution in good time. A classic case of human rights abuse by institutional inadequacies was on a pastor from Kenya.
After recounting his story to me we sat down for three solid days and gave birth to a non-governmental organisation that has a clear mandate to assist African governments and migrants on life at Lindela and livelihood after deportation.
Deportation is always sudden and as such disturbs the normal flow of life. Deported people always come home with mere clothes that are on their bodies, leaving behind unpaid salaries, wives and children (95% of deportees are male!)
To put this scourge into clear perspective the pastor’s story is apt as it shows a lot of issues that are at play in this problem. We shared the 42 bed cell with pastor Mhuchu, a Kenyan who was moving from South Africa to Botswana. On approaching the immigration officers he was stopped in his tracks at Kopfontein, the Thlokweni border post on May 19.
After presenting his passport to the immigration officials, he was immediately taken from the queue by an immigration officer whose name on the name-tag was inscribed Jeremiah. Jeremiah swiftly advised the pentecostal pastor that the permit was illegitimate. He quickly laid fraud charges and organised with the police to transport him to Grootmarico, 130 kilometres away on the same day.
He stayed in the Grootmarico cells through Sunday the 20th. On Monday the 21st he was due to appear before a magistrate at Lehurutse about 70 kilometres away. While still in the holding cells the police man with whom he came arrived with another gentleman who asked him how much he had. He advised the duo that he had 300 pula which they took and changed. An invoice was printed on bond paper registered by one E Sethedi and authorised by one R Kokoane.
The most baffling issue with this was how he could say he had 300 pula and they would say its fine and proceed to produce an A4 bond invoice. This writer had the priviledge to look at the printout and share the eerie feeling of being ripped off together with the man of the cloth. The gentleman was immediately whisked to Hieverdient on May 22 where he was issued with a notification of deportation (Section 7 (1)(g) read with sectin 34 (1)a .
He was kept at the centre for 15 chilling days with one set of clothes. He was hauled to Lindela on May 5 , I departed on 12 May and he had no respite in sight 24 days later. He remains in the dark as to when he shall land in Kenya as he is still to get his passport back.
The questions to ask range from what the police could have done to arrest the conniving agent who prepared the expensive fake permit using the pastor as a state witness to why they charged him 300 rands to eliminate the fraud case needlessly raised on him.
As a result of this system of victimization, the actual culprits - the fake agents who in some instances claim to be lawyers will dupe more people while the government’s attention will remain inexplicably gazed at the wrong people, the desperate job and documents seekers.
Lindela does not only house the hapless and innocent job seekers. A Tanzanian national, Hakim was good enough to recount his sad story. Hakim was coming from prison, Suncity. His arrest came by in 2004 when he was arrested at OR Tambo for drug possession. He was released on May 20 2013. By the time I left on June 12 he was getting yellow with frustration at the authorities.
On entering prison, US$500 was declared as his possession, a passport and his air ticket back to native Tanzania. However on release date, 9 years later he could get neither his money nor his passport.
More experienced drug mules from Brazil were claiming that in Europe the government is so good as to sell the ticket and credit the money to the prisoner such that by the time they finish their sentences they would be swiftly deported using the funds rather than government money.
The Lindela jury comprised of keen inmates trying to make sense of their predicament sat and condemned this as an act of police petty theft and wanton abuse of priviledge.
Tanzanians, Malawians, Nigerians and Ugandans told of harrowing tales, staying at the facility for two months and more.
Constitutionally this could be written down somewhere but that does not make it any just.
The mental and psychological torture, loss of time, income and uncertainty and loss of face when you land home clad in the only clothes on the person are issues to consider.
Crime is a major concern in South Africa but the paradox lies in the fact that two thirds of deported individuals that I interviewed were determined to come back as they had specific jobs they were doing. Which then makes sense to register Zimbabweans on a second phase of the Documentation of Zimbabweans Project as phase two before the expiry of the ones issued in 2010.
Other governments such as the DRC, CAR, Tanzania and Uganda also need to ensure that their Citizens are protected by entering into bi-lateral arrangements to get the best conditions for their immigrants.
This writer together with a couple of detainees had the unfortunate realization that the esteemed agents that took care of permit applications on our behalf had actually processed non-existant documents! The home affairs personnel that visited the police cells were the harbingers of that sad news.
In the face of a possible reprieve, we found ourselves staring possible fraud charges thereby condemning us to the despicable Lindela deportation centre. That quickly put the question of the DZP (Documentation for Zimbawean Professionals) documents under discussion.
As of the deportation that occurred on June 12 2013, six buses crossed Beitbridge Border Post and only three buses under the auspices of the International Organisation for Migration made their way into inland Zimbabwe. Three buses worth of immigrants made their illegal way back into South Africa on the same day. It is baffling on a cost and efficacy level as it is clearly not the solution in the eyes of the affected.
According to Kubatana.net, “About 276 000 Zimbabweans applied for work, business and study permits under the ZDP, according to South Africa’s Home Affairs Department - a fraction of the 1 to 1,5 million Zimbabwean migrants that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimated were living in the country.
As the ZDP project concluded, South Africa lifted the moratorium on deportations in October 2011. Since then, IOM says it has assisted 50 635 returnees - an average of 2 600 deportees per month - at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre at South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe’’
To aid the IOM’s mission, The Pan African Migrant Rehabilitation and Re-integration organisation, PAMiRR has been formed. It hopes to make alliances with the ministry of Youth and Indigenisation, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, The International Organization For Migration and other organisations that are keen to support governments to take care of its people.
The model is a synergistic approach that seeks to utilize all these organisations’ core strengths while directly managing events at Lindela in the first Phase and other detention centres around the world that hold Africans for deportation.
Funds that will directly benefit deportee projects will not only be a source of direct foreign investment, rather it will be a source of employment and a motivation to banish the illegal immigrant phenomenon.
The money that the South African government has used to cater for illegal immigrants by way of deportations could be gainfully used to document the reasonably skilled immigrants that are participating in the economy.
The current back log of applications needs to be cleared so as to encourage meaningful participation in economic affairs by foreigners and to curb crime.
The police needs to handle itself with decorum and respect the rights of all people regardless of economic standing and nationality. Holding centres such as Lindela need to be better equipped to give deportees a humane deportation experience rather than maintaining a medium security prison aura. Food for thought for governments and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Henry Tawanda is a marketing and humanitarian practitioner keen on playing a part in ensuring that governments and NGOs participate in availing funds for reintegration and rehabilitation of deportees into the economies and societies they came from originally.
Labels: REFUGEES, SOUTH AFRICA, XENOPHOBIA
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The end of refugee status for Angolans in Zambia
By The Post
Sun 24 June 2012, 13:30 CAT
THE refugee status of Angolan refugees in Zambia who fled Angola as a result of the armed conflict between 1961 and 2002 will cease as of Saturday, June 30, 2012. 'Migrations' of this nature are not new to our continent. Most of our people are where they are as a result of fleeing from conflicts.
Our migrations around the savanna were not necessarily in search of fortunes but as a result of fleeing from conflicts within families, clans and tribes. This was easy before Africa was curved into the modern states we have.
At that time nobody was considered a refugee. For centuries, our ancient continent has bled from many gaping sword wounds. We don't want any more conflicts, any more displacements of people, any more refugees. One disturbilising conflict anywhere on our continent is one too many.
Conflict threatens not only the gains we have made but also our collective future. And we should treat the question of peace and stability on our continent as a common challenge. Let's close this history of refugees. Let our people move or migrate from one country to another freely as part of our regional integration and not as a result of fleeing from conflict.
We are proud that our country has been for many decades a home for many Africans fleeing from conflict. The internal peace our country has enjoyed enabled our neighbours to have a home to run to, to escape to, to seek refuge in. We have honoured our human and international obligations to refugees with sufficient honour and integrity. In a few days' time, our Angolan brothers and sisters who were here as refugees will cease to have that status.
But this doesn't mean that they will cease to have anything to do with us. There are some who have to go back to Angola against their wishes. We would love them to stay and make our country theirs, their homeland. But this may not be possible in all individual cases. But as far as possible, we urge our government to extend permanent hospitality to those who need it under any status possible. There are many ways one can make or share with us the hospitality of our homeland. Those who qualify, those who can be taken on as citizens, let them be taken on as citizens. Those who can be taken on as permanent residents, let them make this country their permanent home. There are people who came in here as refugees and have spent most of their lives here. This is the only country they really know. It is inhuman to unjustly deny them the opportunity to stay in Zambia beyond June 30, 2012.
When some of these refugees were leaving Angola, their villages were on fire and have never been rebuilt. They will not be going back to their villages. They will be going back to a country they now don't know. The only country they know is Zambia. And there are also many children of refugees born here who don't know anything about Angola. The only country they know is Zambia. As far as possible, they should be allowed to stay here if they so desire.
However, in saying all this we do appreciate the challenges that this may entail on our government which is struggling to meet the needs of its own citizens. But there is no limit to being humane.
For more than 40 years we have lived with refugees from across the whole sub-region, but we are still there. Allowing those who are already here to stay may be a burden but it will not kill us. We therefore urge our government to bend backwards and accommodate the requests of those who want to remain in Zambia after June 30.
And what this calls for is increased economic cooperation among our countries. There is a lot Zambia and Angola need to do together for the benefit of all our people. And moreover, many Angolans have relatives in Zambia. They share common languages, culture and even chiefs. Where do the Mbunda people of Zambia come from? Is it not from Angola?
Let's find a better and more durable way of dealing with the issues of migrations among our people. And we can achieve this through meaningful regional integration.
As we stand on the threshold of a new African era characterised by democracy, sustainable economic development and a reawakening of our rich cultural values and heritage, regional integration remains our hope. But the challenge on this front is to move from rhetoric to action.
The reality can no longer be ignored that we live in an interdependent region, continent, world which is bound together to a common destiny. We operate in a region which is searching for a better life together. Let us join hands to ensure that we strengthen the democratic initiatives that are being undertaken by our people and the independence of our countries and translate these into peace, prosperity and equity for all our people. And as our consciousness grows about our interdependence, so should all the major decisions that our countries make become subject to common review.
For as long as the majority of people anywhere on the continent feel oppressed, are not allowed democratic participation in decision-making process, and cannot elect their own leaders in free and fair elections, there will always be tension and conflict. And where there is tension and conflict, there is likely to be some people fleeing the tension and conflict and take refuge in other countries. We should never allow any of our countries to have such tensions and conflicts anymore.
It is in the character of growth that we should learn from both our pleasant and unpleasant experiences. The suffering of people in any single country in our region affects all of us no matter where we find ourselves. Peace and prosperity, tranquillity and security are only possible if they are enjoyed by all.
We should never again allow political intolerance to unleash waves and waves of refugees in our region. Nor shall our voices be stifled if we see a sister nation heading toward the path of political intolerance that will result in refugees. The great lesson of our time is that no regime can survive if it acts above the heads of the ordinary citizens of the country.
As for us Zambians having had a peaceful existence since independence, we can fall into the trap of washing our hands of difficulties that others face. Let's always treat the problems and challenges of our neighbours as ours. And be always concerned about their plight and take it as ours as well. The spirit of Ubuntu, that profound African sense that we are human only through the humanity of other human beings - is not a parochial phenomenon, but has added globally to our common search for a better world.
Labels: ANGOLA, REFUGEES
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Angolan refugees to lose refugee status on Jun 30
By Moses Kuwema
Sun 24 June 2012, 13:28 CAT
HOME affairs deputy minister Dr Ngosa Simbyakula says immigration and citizenship laws will begin to apply on all Angolan refugees living in Zambia after June 30.
In an interview with journalists after the reception to mark the world refugee day at the Swedish ambassador's residence on Friday, Dr Simbyakula said after June 30 all Angolan refugees would seize to be refugees.
"Those who qualify will be able to apply and we will consider their applications and then for the others they will need to regularise their stay here with the help of their governments. There are various permits one can obtain in order to be in Zambia, resident permits, study permits or business permits," Dr Simbyakula said.
But United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) country representative Joyce Mends-Cole said her organisation would want the return of refugees to be their choice.
Mends-Cole said the refugees had lived in Zambia over the years and had become Zambians in their hearts and minds.
"We are saying to the government, can you consider some of these people who have shown their love for Zambia and that they are contributing already to the continuing development of Zambia. They want to be here, it's not as if they don't like Angola, they had to flee at a certain time and some of them are no longer familiar with Angola and some have never seen Angola because they were born here," Mends-Cole said.
Mends-Cole said she was hopeful that local integration would become an actuality but that she would want to defer everything to the Zambian government, who would tell her when this was going to happen.
During the same event, Swedish ambassador to Zambia Lena Nordstrom said her country would remain open and tolerant to citizens who would wish to seek asylum in her country.
And Jacob Mphepo, the commissioner for refugees and ministry of home affairs were presented with the plaques of appreciation for the role they continue to play in Zambia's hosting of refugees.
Labels: ANGOLA, REFUGEES
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PREL ZI
SUBJECT: TONGOGARA REFUGEE CAMP TRIP REPORT
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Summary
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¶1. Representatives from the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) Mary Lange and Nancy Jackson, accompanied by EmbOff, visited Tongogara refugee camp on September 29. Despite harsh economic conditions in Zimbabwe, the nearly 2,700 refugees in Tongogara camp are receiving adequate shelter, food, and water, and have access to basic health care, social services, and education. Most of the refugees in the camp have been there for years, and while many could probably return home, or at least find their way to better opportunities in Zimbabwe's neighboring countries, they remain in Tongogara, holding out for resettlement. To bolster their claims for resettlement, refugees complain about food rations and camp living; these complaints appear largely unsubstantiated. While it is unlikely the majority of the population will be resettled, there may be some vulnerable individuals, particularly among the Somali community and among the young female heads of household, who could be good candidates for third country resettlement. End Summary.
----------------- Refugee Caseload -----------------
¶2. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 4,311 refugees and asylum seekers in Zimbabwe, of which 2,673 are living in the Tongogara camp located in southern Zimbabwe along the border with Mozambique. The remaining 1,638 refugees are living in urban areas, primarily in Harare. The Zimbabwean government has an encampment policy for refugees. Only those with valid reasons for remaining in urban centers, such as employment, education or medical treatment, are granted permission to live in urban centers. The majority of refugees are from the Great Lakes region. Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are the largest single group, totaling 2,792, followed by Rwandans (651) and Burundians (597). The remaining 271 refugees are from numerous other countries, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Angola, and Uganda.
¶3. Despite Zimbabwe's deteriorating economic situation, asylum seekers from the DRC and Somala continue to arrive at the Harare Waterfalls Trnsit Center. Many wind up leaving Zimbabwe for etter economic opportunities in South Africa. Whle the Tongogara camp population has remained relatvely stable over the past five years, Zimbabwe'surban refugee population has dramatically declind as hyper-inflation, rampant unemployment, government-induced displacement as a result of Operation Restore Order, and food and fuel shortages have made living and working in Zimbabwe increasingly difficult. (Prior to 2006, urban refugees totaled more than 8,000.) Aside from registration and issuance of an ID card, urban refugees receive no material support from UNHCR. Food rations and non-food items are distributed only to camp-based refugees.
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General PRM/Embassy Observations
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¶4. Tongogara camp was established in 1984 to house Mozambican refugees. At the time of the Mozambican repatriation operations in 1994, the camp was home to some 58,000 refugees. After more than 20 years of operation, the camp has more of a village character than a camp fell. There are permanent housing structures with electricity, schools, churches, a mosque, a police station, shops, a clinic, and at least two bars. The camp is fairly isolated, however, with the nearest major city (Mutare) about a two-hour drive away. The area is very dry, and heavily dependent on irrigation, which in turn is dependent upon increasingly scarce power and fuel supplies. Few prospects exist for refugee self-sufficiency in the area.
¶5. Refugees appear to be in good health. UNHCR has done an excellent job in supplying the camp in the face of the economic crisis in the country. Food rations meet or in some instances exceed minimum standards (more than 2,100 kilocalories/person/day), and the warehouse is full of both food and non-food items, many of which are nearly impossible to find in the rest of Zimbabwe. In fact, local Zimbabwean officials who accompanied us were amazed by the abundance of HARARE 00000952 002 OF 003 such staples as sugar and maize, none of which can be found now on the local market.
¶6. Supplies must be trucked in from South Africa, and this poses a significant drain on operating funds. UNHCR has creatively managed to obtain six months worth of food rations from the World Food Program (WFP) in 2007, despite the fact that WFP does not typically provide food for refugee camp populations of less than 5,000 people. Firewood is scarce in this dry area, and UNHCR should consider including in non-food distributions some alternative sources of fuel, such as energy bricks.
¶7. Refugees report receiving their full rations, but complain that rations are insufficient. However, when we asked our Zimbabwean driver about the amount of rations an average Zimbabwean family would consume in a month, it was clear that the refugee rations exceed this average. Since the refugees have better access to food than the local population, some refugees trade or sell their food to the local community for other commodities. Refugees also supplement their monthly food rations by maintaining household gardens and livestock. Some also run small scale trading businesses with the surrounding rural areas. Children seemed well fed and energetic, and all were clothed and shoed. All the children we spoke with were enrolled in school, and camp administrators report that some 500 children are attending primary school. Due to the high number of students, the primary school operates in shifts. Sixty-nine students attend secondary school at the camp, and UNHCR sponsors another 49 students at boarding schools.
¶8. The camp clinic is clean, well organized, and well stocked with drugs, supplies and equipment. It is staffed with two nurses, two nurse elders and one general helper, although refugees complained about the lack of regular access to a medical doctor (another shortage in Zimbabwe in general). The nurses treat from 60 to 120 patients per day, 30 percent of whom are Zimbabweans from the nearby town, Chipinge. Malaria, acute respiratory infection, and skin disease are the most common illnesses, followed by diarrhea, injuries, and sexually transmitted infections. There have been no reported cases of malnutrition in the camp.
¶9. Refugees have access to sufficient shelter, latrines, and potable water. Although part of the camp has electricity, some generators are awaiting repair and newer sections of the camp have no access to electricity. With the relocation of some urban refugees to the camp in the wake of the government's 2005 Operation Restore Order campaign (that destroyed high density housing areas in and around Harare and displaced hundreds of thousands of people), UNHCR has expanded Tongagara Camp's capacity. Twenty-five new huts have been added to the camp and new latrines have been constructed with FY06 Ambassadors Fund for Refugees support to World Vision. The primary school will also be expanded with FY07 Ambassadors' Fund support to the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA).
¶10. In consultation with refugee leaders, UNHCR has formed refugee committees to discuss gender-based violence (GBV), child protection, education, and HIV/AIDS. The GBV committee is working to promote the identification and reporting of cases, but work on combating GBV should be expanded. The HIV/AIDS committee is promoting voluntary counseling and training and working to combat the stigma of the disease. Surprisingly, the camp's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is extremely low (3 percent of those tested are positive). Those who do test positive are referred to Zimbabwean social services where they receive free anti-retroviral medication and counseling.
----------------- Durable Solutions -----------------
¶11. Most of the camp-based refugees have been living in Tongogara since the mid 1990's. Single males and young girls under 16 years of age make up the majority of the camp population. Most of this protracted caseload desires third country resettlement. Some resettlement is occurring: UNHCR Zimbabwe has resettled some 280 refugees in the past year, mostly DRC refugees to Australia, and anticipates similar figures for 2008. UNHCR's resettlement criteria include victims of torture and/or violence, women at risk, and refugees lacking another durable solution. In November, the US/Joint Voluntary Agency (JVA) in Nairobi will travel to HARARE 00000952 003 OF 003 Tongogara to pre-screen UNHCR resettlement referrals for the US refugee resettlement program. PRM indicated that they would recommend possibly increasing resettlement opportunities for Somalis (who clearly cannot return to their country of origin) as well as many of the refugee women in the camp who could be at risk given the predominately young (and very aggressive) male refugee population.
¶12. While resettlement may be an option for some of the refugees, repatriation is possible for many other groups including the Rwandans, Burundians, Angolans, and Congolese (with the exception of those from the Kivu Provinces). However, these groups have resisted repatriation, despite intensive information campaigns, "go and see" visits and tripartite agreements, choosing to remain in Tongogara with the expectation that they will eventually be resettled to Australia, the US, Canada or the Nordic countries. Greater efforts could be made, perhaps following the JVA visit, to explain resettlement procedures to refugees and ensure that their expectations are more in line with reality.
DHANANI
Labels: REFUGEES, WIKILEAKS CABLES, ZIMBABWE
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Memories of sobbing shadows at Nyadzonia
By: By Alexander Kanengoni
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 6:12 am
(Article reproduced from The Sunday Mail, 08 August 2004)
LAST week, I wrote in The Sunday Mail a story about my bizarre experience with a VOLVO at Nyadzonia a day after the grisly 1976 massacre. A young woman phoned and requested me to write a story about the massacre. I told her I had already written one that appeared in the Press nearly 20 years ago but she said she had not seen it because she was still very young then; please, Mr. Kanengoni, please. Suddenly, it was no longer a mere request; it was a plea. I felt trapped and wretchedly treacherous. It was as if I was refusing with something that did not belong to me but to the entire nation.
At Nyadzonia, it took us over a week to bury the nearly 2 000 people who had perished in the horrendous incident. And as we walked away from the horrible place, I was afraid to turn back and see the thousand or more sobbing shadows with their heads bowed, following us, refusing to be left behind and got forgotten.
To most of us, Heroes' Day has become synonymous with the National Heroes' Acre. Each year on the solemn day, thousands of us gather on the sacred national shrine to remember those who shed their blood for the liberation of the country. Here, we laid to rest Herbert Chitepo. There, we laid to rest Jason Moyo. And over there, Sally Mugabe. And beyond and slightly secluded and mounted on a granite plinth is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And even if we might no longer have any flowers left, let us spare a moment, walk over and pause. The effortless tears tumbling out of our eyes and collecting around the pedestal are the flowers. Because the huddled shadows with bowed heads and ashen faces are still sobbing silently at Nyadzonia.
I was not at Nyadzonia when the Rhodesians attacked it. I was at Chimoio. But I was among the platoon of 30 that was dispatched to the camp soon after the news of the attack was received. Thus, I will tell the story of the massacre not as a survivor but as one of the first people who got to the scene immediately after the massacre. I am making the prompt clarification because it can only be a survivor who will be able to capture and translate into words the horror, the agony and the hopelessness of that gigantic historical misfortune.
Nyadzonia was attacked on the morning of 9 August 1976 but the news only reached Chimoio in the afternoon because the Rhodesians had blown up the bridge over the Pungwe which was the link with Chimoio. We were sent not as a relief but a security measure ahead of any help that would come to Nyadzonia.
So armed with AKs , light machine-guns and bazookas, we raced to Nyadzonia in four Land-Rovers and an armoured personnel carrier. And at the devastated bridge, we met the first survivors. Among them was the camp commander, the late Moses Mvenge, the politician from Mutare. There was no need to ask him any questions because the tragic story was everywhere for everyone to see. The survivors' torn clothes, their lacerated bodies, the terror in their eyes and the ghosts that their faces had become told the grim story. There had been a total disaster.
We abandoned the vehicles and searched for a place to cross the angry and roaring river. It took us over an hour to cross and unfortunately during the arduous process, Nyika was swept away down the leaping treacherous river. We watched helplessly as his desperate and muted cry finally drowned and suffocated in the cascading fury. No one among us knew his home name or the part of the country where he came from. He could be anyone's son or brother. At the National Heroes Acre, his memory is embodied in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We proceeded to Nyadzonia.
As we trudged forward with the setting sun on our back, we came upon the first dead bodies and they increased dramatically as we got closer and closer to the camp. And then at last, we were confronted with an endless sea of dead bodies stretching in all directions and I shook my head in disbelief. There were corpses here, corpses there, corpses everywhere. There were corpses of babies strapped on their mothers' backs, there were corpses of small boys and girls. There were corpses of young men and women, there were corpses of old men and women. And the corpses had all sorts of mutilations: decapitated heads, shattered jaws, crushed or missing limbs, disemboweled entrails, scattered brains, gouged eyes, everything.
The highest concentration of the corpses was around the open space they used for their morning assembly. We would later learn from the survivors that the Rhodesians had come with their faces painted black and with camouflage, weapons and vehicles similar to those used by Frelimo, the Mozambican army. That was how the 15 000 or so refugees at Nyadzonia had mistaken them for Frelimo. And so when one of the Rhodesians stood on the pedestal at the centre of the square and blew the emergency whistle, everyone had stampeded to the square, anxious for any good news. And with everyone around the pedestal still gasping for breath, Nyathi, a recently defected guerilla commander, gave the orders to shoot. There was nothing to understand.
Then there were the flies. Swarms of swarming heavy, green bombers. They hovered from corpse to corpse, their laden stomachs bulging to bursting point. In two days' time, the worms would begin to appear on the corpses decomposing in the sun but for now, it was just the nauseating green flies. Yes, in two days' time, the fat, wriggling lethargic worms would begin to appear.
And then there was the stench of the decomposing corpses that filled the air. But like all the other things, the stench would slowly disappear from our noses and by the third day, it would have completely disappeared. And it would be left to the new arrivals to tell us that our eyes looked unfocused and that we also looked frightening and that the smell of death followed us wherever we went. Of course, that was before they too had stayed long enough to also acquire the unfocused look and to have the smell of death following them wherever they went.
And there was fire and smoke everywhere. Virtually every building in the camp had been gutted and only their charred hulks remained. The shell of the makeshift clinic run by the Red Cross across the drift stood looking up like an old woman wailing at a funeral. There were corpses strewn all over the smouldering logs and others burnt beyond recognition.
And a short distance away to the east, the Nyadzonia River writhed and cried, heaving under the weight of hundreds of bloated, floating bodies.
And then there were the injured, hundreds of them, writhing and crying like the river. Some had been shot and left for dead. Others had their limbs crushed by the rumbling steel-belted wheels of the pursuing armoured vehicles. And providing hope and assurance to some of them was one of the most difficult tasks that I had ever done.
A small girl of not more than eight whose chest had been ripped open by a machine-gun with part of her lung now exposed asked me as she calmly sat in a donga: "Do you think I will survive comrade?"
Strangely, all through that nightmare, I had not cried, not a single tear. I stood up, looked away and wept for something that was much, much more than the tragedy of the little girl. Why had I ever joined this war? Why, why, why, I kept asking myself. When I at last turned, the little girl had died. And then something inside me went out like a flame in the wind. It was as if she was waiting for someone to be close by to die. And not far way, the river continued to cry. The war would never be the same again.
Help started coming in the following morning and because the bridge over the Pungwe River had been blown up, the injured could only be ferried by helicopter to either Chimoio or Beira. And for four days, we battled to bury the dead in mass graves that a caterpillar that had been brought in from Tete was digging.
Then the skins of the decomposing corpses began to peel in our bare hands and we had no choice but to leave the work to the bulldozer. The bulldozer moved the decomposed corpses into the huge graves that it had dug and covered them up. On the seventh day, we finished writing the traumatic chapter of our chequered history but the stench of death that followed us remained. For nearly a month, people everywhere we went told us our eyes were unfocused and frightening and that we carried the stench of a decomposing death.
In the new camp outside Chimoio, the survivors sang and danced, stamping the ground: "Zimbabwe ndeye ropa baba: Zimbabwe ndeye ropa redu nemadzibaba" and then the anger and determination: "Ndati ndiudzei baba, mamboaona kupi mabhunu tinobayana."
Therefore, even if we no longer have any flowers, we should always remember to pause at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and let the tears collect around the pedestal.
They are to the memory of the small girl who I failed to give any hope to at Nyadzonia. She is our heroine. And there are thousands of others like her whose places of death have been forgotten. I have painful memories, rolling out with the tears from my eyes.
They are memories of the sobbing shadows at Nyadzonia and many more others who failed to arrive.
Labels: IAN SMITH, MASSACRE, NYADZONIA, REFUGEES, RHODESIA, WAR VETERANS
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Zim illegals flushed out from S.Africa
The Herals/TZG reporters
Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:42:00 +0000
HUNDREDS of Zimbabweans and nationals of countries north of the Zambezi River are stranded at Beitbridge Border Post after the South African Home Affairs Department embarked on a blitz to flush out illegal immigrants and travellers using fraudulently-acquired passports from that country.
The blitz has left a number of people stateless following the confiscation of their passports by South African officials and this means Zimbabwe has to vet these people first before allowing them into the country.
The clampdown started last Monday morning as some travellers trooped back to South Africa after spending the Christmas holiday in Zimbabwe and other countries to the north.
A number of travellers were by yesterday afternoon still being forced to surrender their passports after failing to explain to immigration officials how they acquired the documents.
This has become a common practice by the South African immigration authorities who find it difficult to clamp down on holders of such documents during the course of their daily lives.
However, several travellers complained that they were genuine South Africans and urged their government to intervene.
It is understood that a special team from the Home Affairs Department in Pretoria has been dispatched to Beitbridge to specifically screen travellers.
Those caught with fake documents are automatically denied entry into South Africa or are taken to court to face fraud charges.
Zimbabwe’s assistant regional immigration officer in charge of the southern region (Beitbridge), Charles Gwede, confirmed the developments yesterday.
He said instead of withdrawing the travel documents, the South African officials should investigate their origin as some of them might be valid.
“We have received such reports and we urge our counterparts to carry out investigations to ascertain the authenticity of such documents rather than withdrawing them. At the same time, we cannot accept those people into Zimbabwe since we don’t know their nationalities.
“Such cases need to be thoroughly investigated as people can change their nationalities,” said Gwede.
He said those who had overstayed should be penalised rather than turned away, adding that they were yet to formally receive Zimbabweans turned away from South Africa.
He urged travellers to migrate legally to avoid such inconveniences.
Co-Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi yesterday said Zimbabweans should stop engaging in practices that would compromise their stay in foreign countries.
“If these people are genuine Zimbabweans, we will ask them to go back to their districts where they will be vetted and have new identity particulars processed. If they are foreigners, we will not accept them, but simply tell them to go to their countries of origin,” he said.
One of the victims, David Maluleke, who hails from Giyaniin, Limpopo Province, in South Africa, said he had since engaged a lawyer to fight his case. Maluleke said he had travelled to Bulawayo for the Christmas holiday only to be told he was no longer a South African citizen and that his passport was not valid.
In light of the blitz at Beitbridge Border Post, some travellers are now going via Botswana.
A South African immigration official at the border post said the blitz would continue until mid-January when all migrant workers were expected to be back in that country.
“You will understand that there are a number of people with travel documents fraudulently acquired from our department, hence we need to get rid of that here at the border.
“We are withdrawing all the documents we suspect were fraudulently acquired after rigorously vetting the holders. In some cases, some of the culprits will be charged with fraud and may face blacklisting and imprisonment,” said the official who declined to be named.
Efforts to get a comment from the Home Affairs Department yesterday were fruitless, as their phones were not reachable. The development comes a few weeks after scores of Zimbabweans wishing to travel to South Africa for Christmas shopping were left stranded at Beitbridge Border Post as South African immigration officials were turning away everyone using emergency travel documents.
Labels: REFUGEES, SOUTH AFRICA
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Betty Makoni and God
Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:08:00 +0000
DEAR EDITOR - As Zimbabwe begins to move forward
many people who have sought refuge in foreign countries on false claims have been left in limbo.
Those people who, for many years,
were riding on the bilateral dispute between Zimbabwe and Britain are left with
no stories to tell. It has become uncool to criticise President Mugabe and many people are beginning to bite each other as they try to find new scapegoats.
One of those people is former Girl Child leader Betty Makoni who is being investigated on fraud charges. She has sought what she calls "refuge" in Britain.
Makoni has started speaking ill about the Zimbabwean government, yet not even once did we hear of her harassment when she was in Zimbabwe. All her stories are based on what must have happened before she left the country voluntarily.
She claims that she was harassed and brutalised by government; yet no one has cared to document her story before she left, even herself.
Oddily enough, her story started after the alleged investigation. It leaves a lot to be desired.
She has written stuff all over the internet chastising journalists who intend to report her story. She calls them "Full time website liers, chancers and cheaters" and "Disguised secret agents defaming public agents". Makoni should know that journalists will not stop their investigations because of her bashing of them. In fact she is attracting more attention and will be hounded by the press.
I hope that Makoni will find it in her heart to tell the truth, whatever it is, about her real role and her deeds with the funds at Girl Child Network, rather than go after journalists who are only doing their job.
Isn't this what "Freedom of Speech and Information" is?
At the end of the day, she should seek forgiveness from God if she robbed the weak and meek to enrich herself.
-Nyarai Chidemo, USA.
Labels: BETTY MAKONI, MDC, REFUGEES
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1,500 Zimbabweans flee S.Africa
AFP/TZG
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:45:00 +0000
ABOUT 1,500 Zimbabwean migrants have fled their homes in a shantytown in rural South Africa, after tensions erupted with locals over competition for farm jobs, police said Wednesday.
South Africans on Tuesday physically prevented Zimbabweans workers from getting on to trucks taking them to jobs in the grapelands around De Doorns, about 140 kilometres (85 miles) northeast of Cape Town, said senior police superintendent Hendrik Olivier.
Fearing the incident could lead to further attacks, the Zimbabweans fled their shacks and turned to local authorities. Emergency services have set up a camp for the migrants at a local sports field, he said.
"We put up an internal displaced people camp at the sports field," he said. "We put up tents and toilets."
He said the tensions erupted over "the limited resources that are available in the rural areas, and also the limited work opportunities."
Many of the Zimbabweans had seasonal jobs tending grape vines, but South Africans accused them of taking away their work by agreeing to longer hours and lower wages.
The incident sparked sharp memories of the xenophobic violence that rocked the nation in May 2008, in which more than 60 people were killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes -- many of whom relocated to camps that have since closed.
Some of the Zimbabweans had lived in the area for up to three years. Some of their shacks were knocked down by angry neighbours, but many of the Zimbabweans were renting the shacks from South Africans, he added.
Tensions flared in the small Hex River Valley town over the weekend, when local farmworkers drove about 70 Zimbabweans out of their homes.
They are claiming that farmers prefer to employ Zimbabweans, who they allege accept less money to work.
Braam Hanekom from the People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty (Passop), an organisation that fights for the rights of foreign nationals, said a committee of 12 Zimbabwean representatives had been elected to meet the local farmers' association.
Hanekom said the Zimbabwean farmworkers had refused to return to work until their safety - and proper labour conditions - were guaranteed.
"People are concerned about the safety issues of returning to work and there appears to be a lot of concern about some of the labour brokers and contractors," he said.
"For long-term reintegration, people want to know what their rights are," Hanekom said.
For local farmworkers, it was business as usual: they lined the streets of Stofland and Ekuphumeleni to be collected and driven to various farms.
- AFP/TZG
Labels: REFUGEES, SOUTH AFRICA, XENOPHOBIA, ZIMBABWE
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Mobutu’s ghost still haunting Congolese refugees in Zambia
By Mwala Kalaluka in Kawambwa
Mon 09 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
A spokesperson for the Congolese refugees at Kala Camp on Friday told DRC government officials that they are aware that nepotism and corruption that existed during Mobutu Sese Seko's regime is still prevailing in the country.
During a visit by a government delegation headed by the permanent secretary in the DRC’s Ministry of Security and Interior, Xavier Kiriza and Katanga deputy governor Yav Tshibal, Kala Camp refugee spokesperson Michel Maloba recalled that during the Mobutu regime, one had to bribe government officials with a goat before getting a job.
"With us (refugees) when you are from here (Zambia), you are going to start a completely new life," Maloba said. "Most of us lived in the days of Mobutu and when somebody went to see an official for employment, he is even carrying a goat to get that job. Out of 100 per cent of those who have returned, I can tell you that it is only 0.05 per cent who are employed. I know that there are bad elements who want to spoil the name of the President and the Governor. So let us not talk about relationships."
Maloba said the refugees had benefited from a lot of income-generating initiatives in Zambia, adding that it would be a good thing if these programmes were replicated in the DRC.
"I know you will say that there are income-generating activities in Congo but we also know how they are operating," he said.
Maloba said all they knew was that there was no war but peace in the DRC.
In response to Maloba's concerns on corruption in the DRC, Tshibal said he had noted that the information had filtered to Zambia from that country through mobile phones.
Tshibal said the zero-tolerance to corruption that the Joseph Kabila-led administration had triggered was being implemented in an emphatic manner.
"You are saying that you grew up during a certain regime but during that (Mobutu) regime it was not only a goat that you had to pull to get a job but a cow and two goats. If you have to carry a goat now then it means we are improving,” Tshibal said amidst laughter. "Now, some leaders have been demoted or arrested because of these bad vices."
Tshibal said the problem of corruption in the DRC, which he described as a four-year-disease, could not be wiped out in one day.
"Go back home and help us fight corruption," urged Tshibal.
And Kiriza said the people of DRC would in 2011 again re-elect those leaders who were doing better and push out those who were non-performers.
"Those who have done better we are going to know them also. That is where we are going to say those that have done better continue," Kiriza said. "Are you going to miss the next election of 2011? That one should not also miss you. I do not think you would like to miss that opportunity.”
Kiriza urged the Congolese refugees not only to return to Congo and reconstruct the country but also to go and elect a leadership that would take the nation forward.
"My question is ‘how will you feel that other people are the ones who have reconstructed your country when you are out?" asked Kiriza. "I know that hospitality has got a limit. There will be a time when the people of Zambia will get tired and they will not have anything to offer to you."
The DRC government officials assured the refugees that there was no war in the country as there was no way the UNHCR could send people to a place which was devoid of peace.
Labels: DRC, MOBUTU SESE SEKO, REFUGEES
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DRC counsels donors over repatriation of refugees
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mpulungu
Sun 08 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
DONORS supporting the repatriation of Congolese refugees should be mindful that the DRC has been destroyed by war, DRC’s Ministry of Home Affairs permanent secretary Xavier Kiriza has said.
And European Union (EU) head of delegation Dr Derek Fee has said the donors will not extend support to any Congolese refugee that will opt to remain in Zambia after the voluntary repatriation.
Briefing the press ahead of the repatriation of 502 Congolese refugees from Mwange and Kala camps in Northern and Luapula provinces in Mpulungu on Wednesday, Karizi said as the donors assist the refugees to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they should not ignore the fact that the country was just coming out of a serious war.
“The donors who are in this room know that our country has just come out of a conflict. They also know that our country was destroyed by war, when you try to help our brothers and sisters you have to take it out of your hearts that the country they are going to has just come out of war,” said Karizi who was flanked by the deputy governor for Katanga Province Yav Tshibal. “We love our brothers and sisters who are in Zambia and our hope is this and our prayer of everyday is that they return back home where work is awaiting them for the reconstruction of the country. A country, which has been destroyed, you know it better.”
Karizi said most of the DRC towns had problems of their own and unemployment levels in that country were at their highest.
“Here also we are trying to request to the agencies that are dealing with development, those who are here and not in this meeting. For the donors that are not in this meeting we hope they can come in and help our colleagues as they re-integrate,” Karizi said as members of the diplomatic corps listened attentively. “The refugees have a type of life that they are leading here in the country of asylum. We would not like them to say the way the Israelites said to Moses that ‘you Egypt where we were eating meat and when we come back to our country we have nothing’. We would like the donors in this room to take this issue seriously.”
Karizi said the DRC was experiencing an urban tumor in most of its towns and that the returning refugees might add to the problem if the country’s reconstruction was not supported.
“Our towns have already problems in their surroundings. We have a big number of unemployed people. If some refugees return and go and settle on the surroundings of the town and settle themselves there then we risk having urban tumor that will result into criminal activities. We will have a lot of children without families and if those children won’t have families they turn into street children,” Karizi said.
However, Karizi thanked the Zambian government and the donor community for supporting the return of the Congolese refugees.
“To start is to say a certain word to our brothers and sisters in Zambia. They received our brothers and sisters with open hands, in the area of African fraternity and friendship, which unites our two countries. I request our brothers and sisters from Zambia so that they can send this message of appreciation to the President so. That one who can do with little can do a lot and that is what we want to ask the donors, to continue with the job that they have started with that excellent action,” he said. “You have assisted us through UNHCR and its agencies, local and international. We have observed that everytime from the beginning UNHCR is fully-fledged with work and our hope is high that UNHCR have to continue with the work.”
Karizi said there was need for the DRC and Zambian government to see how they could harmonise the logistics for the return packages and to also reveal the figures for the number of identified spontaneously settled Congolese refugees.
And Ministry of Home Affairs permanent secretary Ndiyoyi Mutiti said the repatriation of Congolese refugees, which hit the 15,000 mark as of May this year was a momentous occasion.
She said the occasion was an indication that the ministry and other stakeholders’ targets on the repatriation programme were on course.
UNHCR country representative James Lynch said the donors had assisted greatly in the programme, which would not have been achieved without the financial support.
Labels: DEREK FEE, DRC, EU, REFUGEES
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Scores of Congolese refugees skeptical about Katanga peace
By Mwala Kalaluka in Mporokoso
Sat 07 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
SOME Congolese refugees have doubted the sincerity behind Katanga deputy governor Yav Tshibal's assurances that the DRC is now peaceful and that all those that fled it due to the war should return.
And some refugees have wondered why the free education programme that is supposed to be provided to the children of the DRC refugees returning to Moba area of that country was not being implemented as agreed.
Addressing scores of anxious Congolese refugees at Mwange Refugee Camp, situated about 20 kilometres from Mporokoso boma on Thursday, Tshibal said President Joseph Kabila of the DRC had embarked on a five-tier commitment in an effort to bring out that country from the aftermath effects of the war.
Tshibal said President Kabila's five commitments include, among others, the zeal to reduce high unemployment levels, enhance the reconstruction process and improve the education sector, especially in respect of the child.
Tshibal said in Swahili that it was a known thing that a lot of Congolese went through difficulties during the war.
"He (President Kabila) said we go for elections and we went for elections. We have put in place people in all institutions of government," Tshibal said. "Everything has been put in place and the war has ended. Congo is a very big country and it needs you to go and reconstruct it. Your home is your home. Let us go back to our home."
Tshibal said the Congolese government would welcome its returning refugees just as the Zambian government and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were taking care of them in Zambia.
Earlier, the secretary general in the Ministry of Security and Interior Affairs in the DRC government, Xavier Kiriza, also urged the Congolese refugees to return home since the conflict there had ceased.
"When you are in a foreign country, you do not have that respect. Congo is our home," Karizi said.
But during a follow-up question session, a 50-year-old Congolese refugee, who claimed to have spent 40 years of his life in the DRC and then in Zambia, asked Tshibal and Karizi if they were being truthful with their assurances that the war was over.
"For the past two days I have just been hearing in the news that there is war in Kivu and you are just telling us that there is peace. Are you telling us the truth?" asked the Congolese refugee, as the others applauded him.
Another refugee wondered why those DRC nationals that had fled war from their various communities and were not intent on returning to these but other areas of that country were not being allowed to do so under the voluntary repatriation framework.
On the war situation in one of the two Kivus, Tshibal said he was a vice-governor for Katanga and that in his province there was no war.
He said before referring the question to Kiriza, who was the head of delegation, that there was an on-going operation to clean up some rebel forces that were in the bush and he assured the refugees that calm would return to Kivu.
Kiriza said the skirmishes in Kivu were as a consequence of some (Intahamwe) that had been forced back to their country, Rwanda that were committing the killings along the way.
Tshibal told the refugees to return to the DRC and that from there they could choose any part of the Congo where they wanted to settle.
And on the free education programme in Moba, Tshibal said he would leave that to the UNHCR but he told the refugees that they were at an advantage because some of them could even speak English and that they could be employed by many organizations in DRC.
Tshibal said some former refugees had become members of parliament in the DRC.
This was in response to a question from a female refugee who wanted to know what the DRC government would do to provide employment to the returnees because currently most graduates in that country, unlike in Zambia, were loitering the streets.
Labels: KATANGA PROVINCE, REFUGEES, YAV TSHIBAL
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Congolese repatriation statistics hit 10,000 mark
Written by Staff Reporters
Sunday, September 06, 2009 6:55:27 PM
THE UN refugee agency has disclosed that Congolese repatriation statistics for 2009 have passed the 10,000 mark.
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) public information assistant Kelvin Shimoh yesterday said the Congolese repatriation for 2009, recommenced in May and as of Tuesday September 1, 2009, a total of 10,128 Congolese refugees had been repatriated from Mwange and Kala camps in Northern and Luapula Province respectively.
"Since the Congolese repatriation started in 2007, this is the first time UNHCR and its partners are exceeding the 10,000 mark. In the last couple of years, the annual repatriated number have gone slightly short of the 10, 000 mark," he said.
Shimoh said the improvement in the number of Congolese refugees going back home could be attributed to the strong leadership in the UNHCR programme, led by the UNHCR Representative James Lynch, who had been actively involved in coming up with various strategies of mass information campaign involving the government of Zambia, donors and other stakeholders. He said Lynch had organised go-and-see visit to DRC last year and massive information campaigns in the two camps of Mwange and Kala.
"The pro-active leadership at Kawambwa Sub -office has over the past few months been engaged with refugees giving them objective information about the situation back home in DRC," he said.
Shimoh said the willingness of the Congolese refugees to return home had been the major impetus in attaining those numbers.
Labels: DRC, REFUGEES, UNHCR
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Britain's policy dilemma over Zimbabwe
Philip Murombedzi
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:55:00 +0000
BRITAIN, Zimbabwe's former colonial power, faces a huge policy dilemma over Zimbabwe.
Last week I was in London and I accompanied a friend of mine to the immigration offices in Croydon to find out about the progress of his asylum application. My friend sought asylum eight years ago. His case is under what is called the 'legacy' queue - it is being reconsidered.
When we arrived in Croydon, there were about 250 plus Zimbabweans lined up, apparently seeking asylum. At least that is what most of the people on the queue openly said in their discussions. The individual stories, however, remained private.
An immigration official I spoke to told me that since the middle of February, there had been at least 300 Zimbabweans on the queue daily - a staggering figure, by any measure.
The British authorities, therefore, are processing at least 12,000 cases a month since February -- all Zimbabwean cases -- in London only. This is a huge administrative task. If we add other national immigration offices handling these cases, the monthly figure could well reach or exceed 20,000 plus.
Britain faces a policy dilemma. It has to grant these people some sort of status, otherwise they remain a huge burden to the economy.
The country has not shifted its policy on Zimbabwe since the formation of the inclusive Government, therefore deporting Zimbabweans to an "unsafe country" is not an option for them. Granting asylum to all Zimbabweans would seem like the most logical thing to do, but it has its own challenges, but that is not the subject of this piece.
Britain needs to somehow rationalise the stay of most, or all Zimbabweans in the country. There are many benefits. Most Zimbabweans I know would appreciate the opportunity to work and pay taxes. My people are a bunch of hard-workers who do not depend on handovers. Why not make them work, rather than keep them in limbo?
Either that, or Britain has to declare Zimbabwe a safe country and help with its redevelopment, and resume deportations. This will be an expensive exercise, considering the number of Zimbabweans in the country. This is a huge administrative exercise.
Britain also has to renthink its diplomatic policy on Zimbabwe and its strategy on land redistribution in the country.
A starting point could be reversing Claire Short's statement that the Labour Government is not responsible for colonising Zimbabwe, hence should not fund the land redistribution exercise. Britain is, in every measure, responsible for many of the problems obtaining in Zimbabwe. For decades, Zimbabwe was under colonial rule which skewed land ownership. Regardless of what level of corruption the Zanu PF government brought to Zimbabwe, Britain still has an obligation -- the obligtation to correct years of discrimination and second-class treatment against the black majority.
Of course that does not exonerate the Zimbabwe government from looking after its own people. The government of Zimbabwe has a responsibility to its people -- divorced from Britain, but that does not make Britain not responsible for the imbalance caused by years of colonial rule.
The government of Zimbabwe and Britain have to work together. Blaming each other will not help.
Many of us wait anxiously to see how Britain intends to handle this dilemma without engaging the government of Zimbabwe, or at least the current inclusive Government.
Sooner or later they will have to swallow their pride and go on that negotiation table. Trying to evacuate old Britons is not only racist and discriminatory, but will not help the policy dilemma in Britain or the situation in Zimbabwe.
In the meantime, we wait anxiously!
--------
Philip Murombedzi
philipmurombedzi@yahoo.com
Editor
Labels: REFUGEES, SANCTIONS, UK
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Zambia is ready for influx of refugees, says Shikapwasha
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Monday, November 24, 2008 10:03:54 AM
CHIEF government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha has said Zambia is ready to welcome refugees from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In an interview in Lusaka on Friday, Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, described the situation in DRC as fluid.
“It’s a fluid situation; naturally it will affect Zambia, a number of refugees will start trickling to Zambia and we have to work out a situation where the United Nations under the UNHCR [United Nations High Commission for Refugees] should be able to help looking after the refugees,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha who until last week was minister of home affairs, a ministry which is also responsible for the refugees’ welfare.
“There are already mechanisms that Zambia has had, as you know this is not the first time Zambia will be looking after Congolese refugees. There are measures in Northern Province, Luapula Province and North Western Province to accommodate some of the Congolese refugees that may want to come to Zambia.”
He expressed optimism that the war in DRC would soon be resolved.
“The international community and the AU [African Union] are working on DRC issue. As you saw the former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo being assisted by the former president of Tanzania Mr [Benjamin] Mkapa are working together to try to bring solutions to DRC,” Lt Gen Shikapwasha said.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha observed that there were inroads that had been made to find a solution to the DRC war crisis.
He said Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries were still discussing the possibilities of sending peacekeepers to the DRC.
“I think it [the deployment of peacekeepers] is not yet concluded. It is still being worked on,” said Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
Rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda have been fighting DRC President Joseph Kabila’s government, creating a humanitarian crisis that has forced thousands of civilians in eastern DRC to flee for safety.
Labels: DRC, LAURENT NKUNDA, REFUGEES, SHIKAPWASHA
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