FORMER Ntabazinduna chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni (pictured) has predicted a mass exodus of Zimbabwean nationals if the ruling Zanu PF wins the August general elections.
Ndiweni was dethroned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s
government in 2019 before he went into self-imposed exile in the United
Kingdom.
The influential former traditional leader has been a critic
of the Zanu PF government and continues to criticise it for maladministration
and massive human rights violations.
Ndiweni told NewsDay that during the 2007 and 2008 economic
meltdown, experts indicated that about one million Zimbabweans moved to South
Africa.
“If the Zanu PF government once again steals these
elections, we will see about two million Zimbabweans packing their bags and
going to South Africa,” he opined. “The biggest movement of people we have seen
in the Southern African Development Community in our age. This movement will
occur legally and illegally.”
Ndiweni, through his pressure group, MyRight2Vote has been
calling on government to allow the
diaspora to vote and has since 2019 been pressuring the government to accord
citizens based outside Zimbabwe this right considering they are the ones keeping
the country running through their yearly remittances.
“We are still holding on to that and pushing the
fundraising to do diaspora vote, so that whenever the President sets a date for
elections in Zimbabwe, we can have a similar election, independent of Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission,” he said.
“So, wherever we look this matter is raising its head. What
is certain is that this matter will cause a constitutional crisis come election
time in Zimbabwe.”
He said the government should address the diaspora vote
issue because their exclusion in this year’s election will further worsen the
legitimacy crisis in the country after elections.
Ndiweni’s organisation was also pushing for political
prisoners to vote in Zimbabwe.
Ndiweni said their effort is to have a coalition of
international governments coming together to call the Zimbabwean authorities to
order, while he expressed confidence that the opposition would win this year’s
elections.
“I am 100% certain that the opposition will win the
election this year. I am also 100% certain that the ruling Zanu PF will try and
retain power through the use of arms this year. These two things will happen
without a shadow of doubt,” Ndiweni said.
Mnangagwa and Chamisa face off for the second time after
the former narrowly won the contest in the 2018 polls.
More than five million Zimbabweans are reported to be
living in the diaspora with the majority, believed to be approximately three
million, domiciled in South Africa.
Mnangagwa is expected to proclaim the election date today. Newsday
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