By Gift Kugara & Bornwell Madzingira.
Last Saturday, hundreds of brave Zimbabweans brought The Strand to a standstill as they marched from Zimbabwe House in London to the South African embassy. They presented a petition to the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. 
Understandably, the mood was upbeat given the usually bad weather. Although angry with what many called a slow progress in the implementation of Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed in between the ZANU(PF)’s ageing tyranny Robert Mugabe and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations in February 2009. The process was mediated by Thabo Mbeki who was leading South Africa at the time.
Among other grievances raised include continued violation of fundamental rights , denial of diaspora vote , dual citizenship and use of state apparatus by Mugabe’s regime to target political opponents particularly MDC and ZAPU members .Speaker after speaker, they narrated horrific ordeals they endured at the hands of Central Intelligence Organisation , Police and the Army before they fled Zimbabwe.
And even more strangely, there is less than perfect constitutional process .Mugabe has threatened to abandon the process and call for an election. He was since received a sounding support from Jabulani Sibanda, a war veterans leader who has been going around terrorising the rural populace. A respected retired Colonel Bernard Matongo who was representing MDC-UK’s Hertfordshire Branch expressed resentment on the use of war veterans in political campaigns as they are notoriously known for killing and abusing women .Moreover, he cited how Mugabe gave in to previous ex-combatant leaders’ demands that later backfired.
Tawanda Muchanyuka from the same Hertfordshire Branch said: “Indeed, far from living like normal citizens ZANU(PF) and the War Veterans ‘ actions have fostered gangsterism on a scale that the world has never seen before”.
And 21 year old Ruramai Madzingira from Portsmouth who also took to the streets said she was delighted to be part of this democratic and peaceful protest. “I can only look forward to the future now, as I believe the people’s demands will finally be respected and there is evidence of failure and repression by ZANU(PF)and a further evidence of autocratic tendencies even in the presence of GPA”, she said.
But eventually the signed petition was handed in and thank God for that .Because it not only provided a vital awakening to Zuma, that he has to act now and the world is watching but also reminded him that Zimbabweans helped South Africa in its fight against apartheid.
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