SA Zimbabwe People First to march to Zim Embassy

The Zimbabwe People First members in South Africa will on April 14 march to the Zimbabwean Embassy to petition for the people in the diaspora to be allowed to vote.

The party indicated that its members in SA will conduct a march to the Zimbabwean Embassy on the 14th of April , to Petition for the Diaspora Right to Vote.

According to research done by the Zimbabwe Elections Support Network , the SADC Principles and Guidelines require all citizens to be given the right to participate in the political process and equal opportunity to vote.

The Electoral Act requires people to be resident in a constituency to be able to vote there, since postal voting is not permitted for anyone except State employees.

"This means that Zimbabweans in the Diaspora will not be able to vote in the forthcoming 2018 elections and we now all know who stands to "benefit" from such an undemocratic situation," reads the ZimPF statement.

"In the so called 2013 'harmonized' elections a total of 3,4 million votes were cast for the presidential vote. However by contrast the current estimates on Zimbabwe Diaspora population project that approximately 4 million Zimbabweans are resident in the SADC diaspora alone , while the majority of this number is based in South Africa."

The party said it is therefore fact , that there are more Zimbabweans who are disenfranchised from voting than those that are allowed to vote.

"All Citizens are therefore not be able to participate in the political process as prescribed by our Constitution , and as such any person or government elected by such a exclusionist process can not claim legitimacy or democratic mandate of governance on behalf of all Citizens of Zimbabwe,'' reads the statement.

"As democrats and builders of the country our first procedural port of call is to submit , a million signature backed petition to our Embassy in Pretoria , for delivery to the Parliament of Zimbabwe and Government."

The [party said the march will take members from Church Square in Pretoria CBD , to the Zimbabwean Embassy and back to Union Buildings , were they will have various speakers from civic organizations,sister politicsl parties, the People First Leadership, and representatives of the South African government's leadership who will address the crowd and share messages of solidarity.

"Our request is simple ! We require alignment of the Electoral Laws to recognize the Constitutional rights of Zimbabwean Citizens in the Diaspora. Should we not receive a favorable response within 3 months from the 14th we will approach the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe on behalf of all Diasporans , to challenge the constitutionality of the current Electoral Law in as far as the Postal Vote is concerned! It is our hope that our Parliament will be forced to debate in pursuit of democratic acknowledgment of the supreme law and our constitutional right to vote thereof by order of the Constitutional Court," reads the statement.

"If all else fails then let me make this emphatic promise that we will shut down all Zimbabwean Government operations that are located here in South Africa. You can not operate an embassy or consulate in country and fail to recognize the presence of the very Citizen you are meant to serve!"

The party said if the Government of Zimbabwe is indeed a genuine signatory to the SADC and AU electoral protocol and guidelines , then our request should be food for the delight of genuine Democrats.

"If the Government of Zimbabwe , can allow and facilitate Malawians and Mozambicans, residing in Zimbabwe to cast postal votes for elections to choose leadership in Malawi and Mozambique , then surely our Government must know that "charity must begin at home. Enough is Enough Zimbabweans," reads the statement.

"We are not going to abstain from voting and abdicate our hard fought right to vote! Our fathers , mothers , brother and sisters sacrificed their lives and some died for this right !It is our right to vote ! Let us not waste it, with apathy and fear! We can't as Diasporans contribute 55% of Zimbabwe's income receivables as we sustain our families back home and by so doing keeping Zimbabwe alive with our hard earned monies but only to be disallowed from partaking in the voting process."

"We say to our Government ,You are happy to accept our money but not our votes ..No !! that we will not accept !"

The party said its Power is in Numbers and urged members to come together as Zimbabweans and March for our freedom ! We have been victims for too long a time ,let us stand and fight.

"My parting question to all my fellow Zimbabweans who long for change and a new lease of life is the following "What would be the result of our elections be if all Zimbabweans at home and in the Diaspora can vote in 2018 " reads the statement.