The Solidarity Peace Trust condemns the relentless harassment of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa at a time when Zanu PF is once again terrorising Zimbabweans in some parts of their country.
We draw South Africa’s attention to the fact that Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) members and supporters are once again being abducted or arrested – in some cases after being attacked by marauding gangs. In some rural areas, it is alleged that homes are being burnt down, crops destroyed and food aid withheld. Soldiers are alleged to be taking part in the harassment and threats.
South Africans need to be aware of the escalating destabilization that is preventing asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants from going home. The majority of Zimbabwean exiles would prefer to return to their families and rebuild their lives but they continue to perceive that it is unsafe to do so. Read more
The Solidarity Peace trust will be launching a new report and film on Friday 30 July 2010.
REPORT: A Fractured Nation
The report is an assessment of the effects of Operation Murambatsvina five years on. It looks at the combined effects of OM and the economic meltdown in the years that followed on the livelihoods and movements of Zimbabweans both within the country and in the diaspora. The findings show the continuing devastation of that operation and the meltdown of the years that followed and indicates the extent of the damage that needs to be addressed in future development policies. With the renewed threats of xenophobic violence on foreign workers in SA, Zimbabwean and other foreigners are trapped in a desperate vice of violence, desperation and poverty. This report will be available for download from this website on Friday 30 July. Read more
by Violet Gonda, SW Radio Africa (17 May 2010)
‘Gukurahundi’ visual artist Owen Maseko says his arrest and the banning of his exhibition is helping him to get his point across and the police actions are proving his point.
Maseko was arrested in March when he opened an exhibition showing an artist’s impression of the Gukurahundi atrocities of the 1980s, at the National Art Gallery in Bulawayo. This was the first exhibition of its kind in Zimbabwe, about this violent period that led to the deaths of an estimated 20 000 Ndebeles in Matabeleland and the Midlands provinces.
Police could not remove the graphic pictures and graffiti which had been painted directly onto the walls of the gallery, so they stormed the building and shut the exhibition down. They also covered the windows with newspapers so that people walking past the gallery could not see the images.
On Monday Maseko told SW Radio Africa that while it has been difficult for him personally to be arrested and going to court, his persecution is allowing people to talk about this terrible episode in Zimbabwe’s history.
He made an urgent application in the High Court to have the exhibition re-opened, but this was thrown out. The artist is expected to appear in a Bulawayo magistrate’s court on May 26th where he is challenging his remand. He said it is at this hearing where it will be decided whether he is going to trial or the charges will be dropped. Read more
Invitation to an interactive exhibition on Zimbabwean Refugee Children in South Africa
The Solidarity Peace Trust in Partnership with the Central Methodist Church (Johannesburg) will be organizing an Exhibition in Johannesburg on the Zimbabwean Refugee Children.
Date: 19 May 2009
Time: 10am
Venue: Albert Street School, cnr Albert Street and Kruis,
opposite J’Burg fire station, Marshalltown, Johannesburg
This is an interactive exhibition with recordings from the children themselves. It highlights the plight of the Forgotten Children who fled Zimbabwe’s political turmoil, in search of a better life, peace and security. Read more
The Solidarity Peace Trust condemns the relentless harassment of Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa at a time when Zanu PF is once again terrorising Zimbabweans in some parts of their country.
