20th June 2021

On Saturday 19th of June 2021 the Midlands Branch of the UK Chapter of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe held a meeting on zoom. The meeting was chaired by Nicolate Gwati.

Register of attendance
Nicolate Gwati, Nomagugu Sibanda, Margaret Tashayawedu, Shingirai Kandi, Silvanos Mudzvova, Thabi Muleya, Lorraine Zakeyo, Edineth Mtengwa and Karen Nhakaniso

Agenda

  1. Welfare check up on the members
  2. Feedback from each department
  3. Follow up on recent campaigns by the organisation and Branch
  4. Update on current human rights violations in Zimbabwe
  5. Finance update
  6. Any other business

Meeting started at 14:00

Welfare check-up on the members
The meeting resolved that all branch executive committees of the UK Chapter should continue to carry out welfare checks on members regularly and identify those who are most vulnerable so that they can be given support and guidance.

Feedback from each department
The meeting got updates from each department, including Treasury, Organizing, Information & Publicity and Fundraising.

Follow up on recent campaigns by the organisation and Branch
There is a new immigration Bill that is being proposed by the government which will affect refugees and other immigrants. These Walls Must Fall have been doing campaign called Kill the Bill. Everyone was encouraged to take part in these campaigns.
People were also encouraged to engage in the Kill the Bill campaigns in their areas because if police are given powers to disrupt protests it will mean that our voices as activists will be silenced and we should not allow that.

Update on human rights violations in Zimbabwe

  • The Covid-19 Indian variant is now in Zimbabwe and the government was very reckless when they had meetings with a delegation from India and people were not wearing masks.
  • The Zimbabwean government continues to violate citizen’s rights. Siphosami Malunga is losing his privately owned farm in Bulawayo to the government.
  • The poverty in Zimbabwe has become so much that a Harare bus rank tout was killed by other bus crew because they were fighting for passengers.
  • Jeffrey Moyo, a New York Times journalist was finally released after spending 21 days in jail. The State also conceded that they had no case against him. There is an increase in these violations against citizens whom the government deems are a threat especially when they speak out against the government’s transgressions.

Any other business
The North Branch is raising money to cover the costs of shipping the 1000 masks that they are sending to Zimbabwe.

All agenda items and any other business having been exhausted, Nicolate Gwati thanked everyone for attending and declared the meeting closed at 1530hrs.

To view pictures taken at the event, follow this link.

By: Information & Publicity Department