Fed up with President Robert Mugabe, alleged police brutality and the unlawful arrest of their countrymen, a group of about 50 Eastern Cape-based Zimbabweans on Saturday staged a flag march from the Orient Theatre to the City Hall.
Convened under the hashtag #Tajamuka, which basically means “We have had enough” and #ThisFlag, the group said the march was in solidarity with their brothers and sisters who were suffering back home.
The Tajamuka campaign was started by a group of non-political citizens from different political backgrounds, who have mobilised in the hope of removing Mugabe and holding him accountable for the ills plaguing Zimbabwe.
Joined by Zimbabwean nationals from as far as Port Elizabeth and Komani (Queenstown), the group sang freedom songs in their mother-tongue Shona and carried placards demanding the president’s immediate resignation and a season of political change in the country.
Tajamuka national organiser, Shelton Chiyangwa, said Mugabe’s leadership had brought hunger, unemployment and general economic decline to Zimbabwe.
Chiyangwa said through Tajamuka’s mobilisation and marches, they hoped to push for change.
“We decided that we won’t just sit by and watch while our brothers and sisters suffer. We decided to organise this march today in solidarity with what is happening back home because they have decided to continue marching despite threats from government and arrests of those who speak out,” he said.
“We are not a political party but a people’s movement. As such, we don’t have a specific leader in mind, all we want is a change in government.
“We hope these marches serve as a warning to Mugabe that his days in office are numbered.”
Fellow marcher and organiser Pauline Muzenda, who together with her family have lived in South Africa since 1998, said Mugabe’s fall would finally give them an opportunity to go back home.
“Going back to Zimbabwe now would mean that I starve. It would mean that I would be arrested because I would not be able to sit quietly and watch while my country falls apart.
“It’s not normal that we are here. It felt abnormal for us to raise our children in a foreign country and they cannot even speak their home language. We want to go home but we need change before that can happen,” she said.
Sean Gundu, who has lived in East London for 10 years said: “Things need to improve first. I want to return to my homeland. I decided to become a part of this movement in the hope that we can end the poverty currently happening in Zimbabwe.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
Marchers call for change in Zimbabwe
Convened under the hashtag #Tajamuka, which basically means “We have had enough” and #ThisFlag, the group said the march was in solidarity with their brothers and sisters who were suffering back home.
The Tajamuka campaign was started by a group of non-political citizens from different political backgrounds, who have mobilised in the hope of removing Mugabe and holding him accountable for the ills plaguing Zimbabwe.
Joined by Zimbabwean nationals from as far as Port Elizabeth and Komani (Queenstown), the group sang freedom songs in their mother-tongue Shona and carried placards demanding the president’s immediate resignation and a season of political change in the country.
Tajamuka national organiser, Shelton Chiyangwa, said Mugabe’s leadership had brought hunger, unemployment and general economic decline to Zimbabwe.
Chiyangwa said through Tajamuka’s mobilisation and marches, they hoped to push for change.
“We decided that we won’t just sit by and watch while our brothers and sisters suffer. We decided to organise this march today in solidarity with what is happening back home because they have decided to continue marching despite threats from government and arrests of those who speak out,” he said.
“We are not a political party but a people’s movement. As such, we don’t have a specific leader in mind, all we want is a change in government.
“We hope these marches serve as a warning to Mugabe that his days in office are numbered.”
Fellow marcher and organiser Pauline Muzenda, who together with her family have lived in South Africa since 1998, said Mugabe’s fall would finally give them an opportunity to go back home.
“Going back to Zimbabwe now would mean that I starve. It would mean that I would be arrested because I would not be able to sit quietly and watch while my country falls apart.
“It’s not normal that we are here. It felt abnormal for us to raise our children in a foreign country and they cannot even speak their home language. We want to go home but we need change before that can happen,” she said.
Sean Gundu, who has lived in East London for 10 years said: “Things need to improve first. I want to return to my homeland. I decided to become a part of this movement in the hope that we can end the poverty currently happening in Zimbabwe.” — zisandan@dispatch.co.za
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