OUTSPOKEN Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni and four diaspora organisations, recently met representatives of the British and Namibian governments, to discuss Zimbabwe’s continued disregard for basic human rights, the exiled traditional leader has said.
Chief Ndiweni is now based in the UK after falling out with the President Emmerson Mnangagwa administration for standing up to him and attending MDC Alliance’s 2018 congress.
The outspoken chief, who was stripped of his chieftainship in the Ntabazinduna area, said he met representatives of the UK department of foreign affairs, the exact people Mnangagwa sent his Cabinet ministers, Mthuli Ncube and Fredrick Shava, to engage with.
“When governments begin to seek the voice of the citizens of a particular country, that signals that things have changed. Folks let us undertake a citizens direct engagement with other governments and nations. That time has come. For the sake of our country, nation and children,” said Chief Ndiweni.
“The “citizens” delegation went to the very very same office that ministers Shava and Ncube went to in the UK government. The difference is that “the citizens” spoke the real truth about the state of affairs in Zimbabwe and pulled no punches on all topics.”
The traditional leader was in the company of Zimbabwean Diaspora Vote, MyRight2Vote, Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation and Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe.
The organisations are demanding a disapora vote which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said is not possible.
Mnangagwa’s re-engagement strategy, announced in December 2017 has had little success.
Human rights organisations have been accused of fuelling the West’s hesitance to work with his administration.
The Zanu PF government accuses them of promoting negative publicity while they maintain they are telling the world truths, which government does not want revealed.
Mnangagwa’s human rights record has been a topical issue wherever re-engagement with the West is discussed.