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Zimbabweans in SA speak out
03/07/2008 13:37 - (SA)
Verashni Pillay
Cape Town - In the wake of a failed run-off election in Zimbabwe that left little hope about its near future, News24 spoke to Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
Bekezela Fuzwayo, 36, fled to South Africa in 2003 after years of violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe's Matabeleland. With several qualifications from his country, he took on casual work in Johannesburg and now works as in invoicing clerk.
Do you think Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the run-off election was the right one?
It's a difficult one. We feel let down especially by the fact that it was already too late when he pulled out. People had already been beaten and killed and so it makes us feel as if their deaths and beatings were in vain. Perhaps he should have taken time to consult with the electorate. How was he so sure we had had enough? Mugabe consolidates his power by violence.
Did you vote in the run-off elections? How do you feel about the result?
I didn't vote in the run-off but I voted in the March election and felt really disappointed as we didn't understand how Mugabe honestly got the number of votes that he did. I have always voted but every time, against all odds, Mugabe wins and we have to go back to the same old routine and wait another five years as is the case again this time.
What do you think of the future of the country?
We had our hopes (pinned) on Joshua Nkomo and Zapu and they were swallowed by Zanu, then Edgar Tekere and ZUM but he was also swallowed. Now Tsvangirai is slowly but surely going the same way. Sooner or later he will be invited to talks for a government of national unit then it's back to a Zanu one-party state. How many governments of national unity is the country going to have?
That's why most of us from Matabeleland honestly feel that somehow Morgan was a coward in pulling out on 82 deaths (not to underrate any death), whereas we pressed on against Zanu and Mugabe, albeit with thousands dead.
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 April Boniswa Sisasenkosi Mhlanga, 22, has been in South Africa for the past five years and is studying architecture.
Do you think Tsvangirai made the right decision in pulling out of the run-off election?
I definitely think it's not about the 'right' or 'wrong' decision but the only one that could be made at the time. Anyone who knows anyone who was attacked during the pre-election violence will say that it was for the best. I don't know if my family would've been harmed in the increasing violence.
What do you think of the future of the country?
The future of Zimbabwe is bright. I guess because of my faith in God I know it is darkest before dawn and the status quo cannot be that way forever. After all, no one is immortal so something will give at some point in time. I would definitely like to return home once the situation has stabilised but until then I will acquire skills that will make me an asset to the country and that will allow me to positively contribute to its future. I was part of a blessed generation which has an understanding of our culture, and yet is learned and free.
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 Ngqabutho Dhlamini, 31, studied history at the University of Zimbabwe and worked for a museum in Zimbabwe. He moved to South Africa in 2005 with his wife and children and does menial jobs.
Did you vote in the run-off election? How do you feel about the result?
I was actually organising some guys to go and vote - we had got 300 or so. In the end we cancelled. Most thought it's useless to go all the way for a single candidate... we wanted to make a difference.
The AU and the rest of the so-called African community is doing nothing of real value. Nonetheless we were not expecting them to do anything of significance - birds of the same feather flock together. Who was democratically elected amongst the crop? Maybe 9 out of 53!
What do you think of the future of the country?
The future is even bleaker than before. It's just a bottomless dark (sic).
I have come to believe that Mugabe might not necessarily be the problem (I'm not his supporter nor will I ever be). In the DRC we thought it was Mabuto, in Kenya we thought it was Moi- the list is endless. Those men are long gone but the problems are far from over.
I believe we need to have a democracy according to our African conscience, modelled in our own way.
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 Tendai Muronzi*, a 25-year-old marketing consultant, left his family in Zimbabwe four years ago to move to South Africa.
Do you think Tsvangirai made the right decision in pulling out of the run-off election?
I think Tsvangirai is a very confused man, but yes that was the right move.
Did you vote in the run-off election? How do you feel about the result?
I did not vote, I'm not registered and it's a bit of a mission to get registered. I didn't vote in the last one for the same reason.
What do you think of the future of the country?
Generally, we Zimbos are very peaceful people, so the violence will never go very far. People are more concerned about putting food in their stomachs than some useless violence. What's happening in Zim would never have carried on for so long in SA, what with the temperament of the people here.
If you consider the size of Zimbabwe and the kind of attention it receives, it tells you what kind of future it has. I believe Zim has got the potential to return to and far exceed its former greatness.
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 Andrew Smith*, 57, immigrated to Zimbabwe in 1980 and became a citizen. A self-employed publishing consultant, he has sworn not to leave the country.
Did you vote in the run-off election? How do you feel about the result?
I voted in the last one. I didn't intend to vote in the run-off, and if I did, I would've spoiled my vote. There is no comparison between the pre-election period for the main elections and the one for the run-off. The results of the first vote were broadly correct, but I understand that Tsvangirai did in fact get more than 50% in the presidential vote and that adjustments were then made.
What do you think of the future of the country?
The economy will continue to deteriorate. I don't know how much longer it can continue. It is essential that SADC does not recognise the legitimacy of Mugabe's presidency. I don't know whether they will. We have to continue to fight this dictatorship. I'm not going anywhere.
*Not their real names
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