"WHY I BECAME A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST"

 25 March 2021

I used to hear and read about people being politically persecuted in Zimbabwe. I never thought I would wake up one day and find myself being persecuted for my association with people that are viewed to be enemies of ZANU-PF. How do you report to the security forces when they are the ones being used to persecute citizens? The judiciary system is captured, and justice is saved for ZANU-PF elites only. I found myself having to flee with my life and leave everything I had built for myself and my children behind. I found myself in a foreign land with nothing and I had to start all over again. A lot of people are going through the same ordeal and may continue to go through the same if someone does not stand and challenge the government of Zimbabwe. What I went through with the government of Zimbabwe made me realise that if I do not stand and challenge the government of Zimbabwe for violating my human rights, Zimbabweans will continue to suffer at the hands of Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government. No one deserves to be stateless because they are not cheer leading the evil that ZANU-PF is doing.

No one is safe in Zimbabwe, there is no rule of law and people are not allowed to exercise their rights. If you speak out or ask for better reforms, you will be persecuted. Citizens are being abducted, tortured and killed for exercising their rights. Citizens are being unlawfully incarcerated for speaking out against corruption as the government continue to loot public funds. Sexual violence is used to silence dissent. Women and girls are being raped as punishment. Activist and journalist in Zimbabwe continue to suffer the wrath of ZANU-PF. If I do not stand and defend Human rights who will?

I am privileged to have survived and to be in a country where I have the freedom to speak out. If I do not speak out who will when activists on the ground are being persecuted. Every Zimbabwean in a foreign land is a victim of ZANU-PF be it economic or political immigrant. If there was good governance in Zimbabwe people would not migrate to other countries. Citizens are treated like foreigners in their own countries because Zimbabwe now belongs to ZANU-PF elites. It breaks my heart to see how Zimbabweans are being ill-treated in foreign lands. People who held respectable positions in society, people who were driving the economy of Zimbabwean have been reduced to being beggars in foreign lands leading to most of them suffering from mental health issues. If I do not stand and speak out now Zimbabweans will continue to suffer.  

Families have been broken and there is no “spirit of ubuntu” in Zimbabwe (humanity towards others), it’s now survival of the fittest because Zimbabwe has been made into a jungle by ZANU-PF. The army and police are hunting us and killing us like our lives do not matter. The world should know about these injustices, if I do not stand and point these issues out who will? It is my responsibility as a Zimbabwean to make sure that it is known that we do not want to keep migrating to other countries. We love our country and we want to build our country, but this is not being made possible with the blood thirsty ZANU-PF. If I choose to turn a blind eye to these human rights violations, Zimbabweans will continue to suffer at the hands of Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government.

 I cannot change what happened in the past, but I believe I can make a difference by promoting and defending human rights. Why should we be forced to leave our country of birth? I am advocating for a Zimbabwe where human rights are respected. A Zimbabwe where the security forces protect citizens not used to abduct, torture, and kill citizens. A Zimbabwe where people have political freedom and equality. A Zimbabwe where the government understand that public funds are meant for the development of infrastructures not to fatten their pockets and live luxurious lives. This is why I become a Human Rights Activist.

#LetsDoSomethingAboutIt, 

Author: Vongayi Mufara is a human rights activist and the Information and Publicity Secretary of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe’s UK Chapter. She is based in the United Kingdom and can be contacted by email on vongayimufara@gmail.com