PROTESTORS marked Zimbabwe’s Independence Day by covering their hands in red paint to symbolise the blood-shed in that country and to bring attention to the crisis in South Africa’s neighbour.
PROTESTORS marked Zimbabwe’s Independence Day by covering their hands in red paint to symbolise the blood-shed in that country and to bring attention to the crisis in South Africa’s neighbour.
The protest on 18 April also aimed to bring attention to gross human rights violations that have occurred inside and outside Zimbabwe.
Rhodes students, Felicity Sibindi and Pinky Manyau explained that they organised the protest outside Home Affairs because “every Zimbabwean living in South Africa" has a tale to tell about the department. They chose Zimbabwe’s Independence Day to hold the protest to highlight the lack of independence that Zimbabweans have.
A press release distributed at the protest read: “We have all heard the stories, met the victims, seen the pictures; and yet we have been too scared to do anything. It is time to rise up, it is time to make a change – it is time to regain our dignity.”
Manyau and Sibindi believe that the onus is on students to mobilise change. “We want to fix things so we can go home. We’re worse off now than we were under the Smith regime, there was a peak with our parents who were under Smith, but with us there’s just a decline. The very fact that we are here in South Africa shows that there is a problem.”
Intimidation fears
For Zimbabweans who are fearful of being targeted by loyal government supporters for their protest action Sibindi says “We have protested and spoken out against Mugabe for over a year, and nothing has happened to us. The threat of the Central Intelligence Office is propagated paranoia,” she said.
“We are very grateful to the people who did have the courage to support us, especially black Zimbabweans,” said Sibindi. The lack of support, both from the academic staff as well as from fellow students, has made it hard to maintain an awareness campaign despite the large number of Zimbabweans living and working in Grahamstown.
“We’re just two students. It is very frustrating when all people do is tell us that we’re brave, because that takes the responsibility away from them to do anything. It is as though they are waiting for a martyr or something worse to happen,” said Manyau.
Solidarity
Amid calls of “Phantsi [down with]Zanu-PF, Phantsi!” various groups and individuals came forward to express their solidarity.
“Mugabe must go,” said Joseph, a sixty year old wheelchair-bound Grahamstown resident who felt compelled to express his concern. “Even if it turns out that he has won the election, he has failed his country. He should just step down.”
Allan, a fed-up black Zimbabwean protester, called on the crowd to mobilise against what he calls a powerless, minority government. “We’ve all been silent. We protest here, but we’re afraid that when we go home, we might be victimised. But we can change it. It is our future that is being messed up by a few individuals.” Manyau and Sibindi believe the fears are unfounded, dismissing Mugabe’s racism “as a political gimmick that is used to distract people from economic problems.”
Manyau and Sibindi hope that the protest will motivate other Zimbabweans living in South Africa to have the courage to speak out. “If every Zimbabwean protested at the same time, that would be beautiful, “said Manyau.
