Sheilla Mironga #JusticeForMarryChiwenga Campaign

 16 April 2022

Every human being needs respect and the Zimbabwe government should protect women's rights. Mary Chiwenga is human like everybody else and has the basic right to be treated fairly, regardless of her personal issues. Women organisations and other human rights representatives' silence was immense towards the injustice of the Zimbabwean courts when she collapsed, crashed her head unfit to attend court, during the battle between the ex-husband Constantine Chiwenga in court on their children's custody case. She had suffered enough, Zanu PF is protecting Mary's ex-husband because of his high office position and power which shows signs of prejudice and unjust behaviour , manipulating the police and judiciary. 

I am encouraging  Zimbabwean women to come together to fight this injustice and the first lady of Zimbabwe should not be a partisan but a representative of every woman regardless of their status within our communities. The Zimbabwean government is portraying a good picture to the world that things are improving or evolving, yet those in higher rankings are abusing their supreme governing power. As a woman, a Zimbabwean citizen please take a moment and think about the mental state of Mary's children and their wellbeing, about how their mother is being subjected to negative comments being posted on a daily basis. How can the Zimbabwean justice system be biased towards the citizens it's supposed to protect.

 The Ministry of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi attended the 49th session of Human Rights in March stating that the government is putting efforts to 'promote and protect the human rights for all our people'. Yet they do not follow the rule of law, high level of discrimination, protection of powerful members of government for example ex-husband of Mary Chiwenga. It is through public votes why they are in offices, instead ministers are serving personal interest at the expense of the ordinary person on the street. 

Mary Chiwenga life matter as a Zimbabwean, 

l stand in solidarity with women in fighting to eliminate physical, emotional and financial abuse happening in Zimbabwe. 

#JusticeForMarryChiwenga

About the author

Sheilla Mironga is a  Zimbabwean human rights activist and She is also the Organizing Secretary for the South Branch of the UK Chapter of ROHR Zimbabwe. She writes in her personal capacity in this instance.

ROHR ZIMBABWE AT THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MIKE CAMPBELL FOUNDATION IN LONDON – WEDNESDAY 30TH MARCH 2022

 31^st March 2022

Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe was represented at the 10^th Anniversary of the Mike Campbell Foundation event in London by Nontokozo Malaba Ncube and Magadaline (Maggy) Moyo, both members of ROHR Zimbabwe’s Information & Publicity sub-committee.

The event took place on Wednesday 30^th March 2022 from 7pm to 9pm at The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR.

The Mike Campbell Foundation (MCF) fights for the restoration of the rule of law, justice, human rights and property rights for all in Zimbabwe.

The Keynote speaker at the event was none other than the evergreen Chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni.

Other speakers included Baroness Kate Hoey, a member of the first British Parliamentary delegation to Zimbabwe and was once the Chairperson of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Zimbabwe and Ben Freeth MBE, the Executive Director of the MCF’s projects in Zimbabwe, himself a victim of the violent takeover of white owned commercial farms and property in Zimbabwe in the early 2000s.

The ROHR Zimbabwe representatives, Nontokozo Malaba Ncube and Maggy Moyo used the occasion to interact and exchange ideas with Chief Felix Ndiweni, Baroness Kate Hoey and other individuals and organizations with vested interest in the affairs of Zimbabwe.

For some of the pictures taken at the event follow this link.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rohr_zimbabwe__manchester/albums/72177720297982181

By: Information & Publicity Department
Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe

Years of teacher tears by Nontokozo Malaba Ncube

14 February 2022

Years of teacher tears

Over the years, the Zanu PF regime’s response to teachers’ grievances has been lip service from a place of lack of concern and a mere want to get the impoverished teachers back to work. Beginning of this year, we saw teachers facing brutality to hold them down from airing of their overdue and frequently overlooked yet very legitimate concerns.

We saw detention of the lawfully demonstrating 16 teachers. They appeared in court with feet chained as though there are criminals. The regime wished to send a message of terror to mute the voices of the hungry teachers. The teachers’ cry has been of hunger while doing their best to serve the nation’s education. A hungry teacher’s presence in the classroom is mediocre and mere fulfilment of duty.

On the 8th of February, the Permanent Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education , Mrs Thabela threatened the clearly incapacitated teachers, calling for their names to be submitted for terror and torture, but the ZINUSH refused. The government has been using the principle of divide and rule, causing boards like ZINUSH and ZIMTA to sell teachers out on their struggle, but this time ZINUSH refused and it remains for ZIMTA not to sell out the struggle.

In the desperation to let the wind blow over and not out of real concern, the president releases a mocking open letter proposing;

a) The current salary of 18 000 RTGS, a deduction of interbank rate equivalent of US$100 which will be paid to teachers in hard currency,

b) The reminder of the salary which is 6000 RTGS to be increased by 20%.

There was mention of US$175 to be given to teachers in hard currency, counting in the US$75 Covid-19 allowance which the government can withdraw at any moment.

In my summation, the remaining RTGS salary, with its increment sums up to US$30 using the black market rate which teachers will use to buy foreign currency in an economy that now prices everything in US dollars. The salary therefore is US$ 130 plus US$75 Covid-19 allowance. In Zimbabwe rainy season tomatoes are going for US$1 for four. The teachers’ March payment of US$205 buys 51 tomatoes.

The letter promises non-monetary incentives like fees for teacher’s children of 20 000 RTGS, money not enough for half the schools in the urban area, money not half of universities’ fees, money with no promise of revising the amount in a casino economy of inflation like Zimbabwe. There were promises of building teachers’ blocks and flats, this by a government that fails to make roads, and all roads in the nation are potholed. There were other flimsy promises like duty free

vehicles bought by teachers, as teachers who earn US$130 can ever be able to buy cars.

This is such an unprogressive dialogue that the government intends with the release of such a letter. It is mockery of the teachers by government officials whose single sit in the cabinet earns them allowances way more than a teacher’s whole month’s salary.

The teachers deserve more than US$540 which they have settled for in their demand. There’s need to restore their dignity and eradicate the poverty and shame they have endured in society for years and with no consolation. There’s need to redeem the education sector and the future of all Zimbabwean children which Zanu pf clearly does not care about, maybe because their children learn abroad at expensive institutions.

#SaveOurEducationZw

#ZimbabweanLivesMatter 

About the author;-

Nontokozo Malaba Ncube  is a UK based Zimbabwean human rights activist and Acting Chairperson of  Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe North Branch. Nontokozo Malaba Ncube can be contacted by email on nmncube44408@gmail.com

REPORT ON THE MEETING WITH UK LORDS AND MPS ON TUESDAY 11th JANUARY 2022

 15^th January 2022

On Tuesday 11^th January 2022 ROHR Zimbabwe was part of a delegation that met with a delegation of UK Lords and MP’s via the UK Lords’ MS Teams platform. This meeting was hosted by Lord Oates as Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, and it was set up to discuss the call for the Zimbabwean government to allow Zimbabweans in the diaspora to vote as well as the failures of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The Lords & MP’s team comprised of Lord Oates (the Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe), Lord Hayward, Lord Purvis of Tweed, Lord Wigley, Sir Peter Bottomley MP, Grahame Morris MP and Adam Bull.

The full Zimbabwean human rights delegation included Chief Felix Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, David Mpoko and Arnold Bhebhe representing MyRight2Vote, Panyika Karimanzira and Vongayi Mufara representing ROHR Zimbabwe and John Burke, Beverley Mutandiro and Moses Mbano representing ZHRO.

Following the meeting we got a mention in the House of Lords on 13th January 2022.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2022-01-05.HL5134.h&p=24911
and the issues we raised were also discussed in the UK House of Commons.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-01-05/HL5134

We will continue to engage with and update the UK government on pertinent human rights issues.

Pictures of this meeting can be viewed here.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rohr_zimbabwe__manchester/albums/72177720296333263

By Information & Publicity Department
Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe