Former Ntabazinduna chief, Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, has predicted that Zimbabweans will flee the country in large numbers if ZANU PF “steals” the August general elections.
Ndiweni who was removed from his position by the Mnangagwa government in 2019 currently lives in the UK. He has been a vocal critic of the ZANU PF government, denouncing maladministration and human rights abuses.
Ndiweni believes that if ZANU PF “steals” the election, around two million Zimbabweans could seek refuge in South Africa, both legally and illegally.
He advocates for the Zimbabwean diaspora to have the right to vote and has been pushing for this since 2019. Ndiweni’s organisation, MyRight2Vote, has also been pushing for political prisoners to be allowed to vote.
He believes that the opposition will win the election this year, but that ZANU PF will attempt to retain power through violence. More than five million Zimbabweans live outside the country, with the majority in South Africa. Ndiweni told NewsDay:
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. The biggest movement of people we have seen in the Southern African Development Community in our age. This movement will occur legally and illegally.
Rigging Allegations:
ZANU PF has faced allegations of election rigging and manipulation through violence, intimidation, ballot stuffing, and harassment of opposition supporters. The 2008 presidential election was particularly controversial, with the opposition candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrawing due to violence. Stakeholders are pushing for reforms for a fair electoral process in the 2023 elections.
Diaspora Vote:
There have been calls from various stakeholders for Zimbabwe to allow diaspora vote. Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, last year called for amendments to the Zimbabwean Constitution to allow citizens in the diaspora to vote. Mudenda is the first senior official in the ruling ZANU PF party to push for this agenda, as the party has previously stated that the government had no resources to conduct a diaspora vote. It also stated that it would only consider allowing citizens in the diaspora to vote if Western powers remove the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Migration of Zimbabweans: Diaspora
Many Zimbabweans have left the country due to economic challenges, political instability, and human rights violations, often attributed to the ruling ZANU PF party. The diaspora is estimated at around 5 million, with the majority living in South Africa, the UK, and the USA and the majority of them are assumed to be supporters of the opposition.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa are set to compete for the presidency for the second time, following the 2018 polls in which Mnangagwa narrowly won.
Mnangagwa is expected to announce the election date today.