Hundreds of Zimbabweans attend London rally

LONDON – Hundreds of people from all over the United Kingdom gathered in Trafalgar Square in an explosive and entertaining rally meant to support the struggling women of Zimbabwe.

Organised by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), the rally brought together hundreds of Zimbabweans living in the UK, human rights activists, trade unionists and others who wish to see an end to the political and economic crisis that bedevils Zimbabwe today, affecting mostly women and the girl child.

Protest singer, Viomak, lit the stage with her songs that are loaded with attacks on President Robert Mugabe's presidency and his reluctance to relinquish power at a time when economic and political woes continue to affect many Zimbabweans.

The London rally, which came two days after International Women's Day, also saw the collection of donations towards the dignity campaign that has seen ACTSA buying and donating sanitary products to Zimbabwe’s women who can no longer afford them.
 
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president, Lovemore Matombo said things were bad in Zimbabwe for everyone but were worse for women, many of whom have been suffering and contracting diseases due to lack of sanitary pads.

“The women of Zimbabwe are suffering and it is sad that we have to travel thousands of miles to campaign on behalf our mothers, sisters and daughters,” Matombo told zimbabwejournalists.com at the end of the rally. “I, however, am so happy today that hundreds of Zimbabweans are here, they came out in full support of their cause and in solidarity with their compatriots back home. That is what we should do all the time – unite and walk together. Unity is the word. Without it then we cannot fight the regime in Harare at all.”

Matombo said he was grateful that ACTSA and many other activists in the UK and all over the world, especially trade unionists, were doing all they could to support those fighting for freedom in Zimbabwe.

Speaker after speaker talked about the lack of justice and freedom in Zimbabwe under the Zanu PF leadership. There was plenty of song and dance, drum beating and flowers were distributed amongst those at the rally as a show of love. Bunches of flowers and banners attacking Mugabe, others urging him to go now to save the country, were later pasted and left on the doors of the Zimbabwe Embassy in the Strand.

Lucia Matibenga, the ZCTU deputy president, said: “The situation back home is bad. It is affecting all women, whether you come from Zanu PF, the MDC, this organisation or that. That is why we expected women in Zanu PF to come and join us in our fight for regime change because they are also suffering. Women have big hearts and at the end of the day they give up everything for the love of their families – they buy everything else to feed and dress the family but themselves. The result – women are picking up funny diseases because they are using newspapers and other things during their monthly periods. It is a sorry state but we are distributing the sanitary pads that have been donated so far and they are making a big difference.”

She adds: “We have to deal with the things affecting us first – these things so we can pave the way for more action from the women of Zimbabwe. We have to fight to get our dignity back, it’s the least we deserve.”

Sicelesile Ndebele, an MDC supporter from Sheffield said it was heartening to see that hundreds had come out in support of the long-suffering women of Zimbabwe.

“What we need to do is to continue fighting from wherever we are to help end the brutal regime in our country that continues to cause more suffering to the poor Zimbabwean woman,” said Ndebele. “Today has shown us that we must unite under our leadership here and do more to support the struggle back home through mobilising support for the Dignity Campaign, collecting sanitary pads and even continuing to show the international community that we are unhappy with Mugabe and company.”

Liven Sibanda, also of Sheffield was one of the opposition faithfuls that came out in support of the women’s rally. “It pains me so much to see and hear from people like Mr Matombo and Mai Matibenga that the situation on the ground continues to worsen. Things are getting bad by the day as brutality continues. We must organise many more such rallies so we can continue to tell the world the truth about the ongoing Zimbabwean story. We must unite and help end brutality and the undressing of our mothers, sisters and daughters by the Zanu PF government.”

ACTSA's head of campaigns Kathryn Llewellyn said it was good that hundreds had come out in solidarity and respect for the bravery of the women in Zimbabwe as they struggle to meet their basic needs and also as they fight to put the country back on a democratic path.

Labour MP Kate Hoey, the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, also spoke at the rally.