I won't speak ill of Zimbabwe - James Maridadi

Former MDC Member of Parliament James Maridadi says he will not speak ill of Zimbabwe as he starts his job as the country's ambassador to Senegal.

Maridadi who represented the country's biggest opposition in Parliament as Mabvuku Tafara MP was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa a development that shocked his former colleagues.

"I don't think there is anybody with a brain in his head who expects me to go and speak negatively about this country. I am a Zimbabwean first. The end-game in 2nd Republic is economic prosperity for the Zimbabwean people, "said Maridadi on Wednesday night on the eve of his departure to Senegal.

The deployment of the ambassadors to replace old one or those that died comes at a time when Zimbabwe is trying to rebrand its image in the community of nations.

However, the opposition says the country is paying lip service to reforms as the Mnangagwa administration has not changed from the regime of former President Robert Mugabe.

On Wednesday, Zimbabweans in England staged a demonstration at the Zimbabwean embassy in London coinciding with the visit to the country by Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo who is meeting senior British and Commonwealth officials.