Government accused of lying about German visa refusals

By Violet Gonda
20 August

A German Member of the European Parliament has denied reports claiming Zimbabwean legislators had been denied visas to attend the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly due to meet in Wiesbaden, Germany next week.
Austin Zvoma, the clerk of parliament, said Zimbabwe would not take part in the meeting claiming two ruling party legislators, Forbes Magadu and Godfrey Chipare, had been denied visas. Zvoma however said two legislators, including opposition MP Nelson Chamisa, had been granted visas.

But a statement by MEP Michael Gahler categorically denies refusing the Zimbabwean delegation visas and said no formal visa applications have ever been submitted by the Zimbabwean parliament.

All passports for the delegation, including those of the opposition, were supposed to have been sent by parliament for visas, but MDC MP Nelson Chamisa confirmed there was no evidence in his passport that it had been sent for a visa application. He said this was a deliberate and strategic ploy by the ruling party in an attempt to block a resolution on Zimbabwe.

Zvoma said: "The parliament of Zimbabwe categorically rejects attempts by the German authorities to dictate surreptitiously the composition of our delegation to the meetings. Consequently, all delegates are hereby advised that the parliament of Zimbabwe has decided not to send a delegation to these meetings."
Gahler said this is obviously another attempt at manipulation by the Zimbabwean regime. But reiterated that there are no obstacles for the participation of a Zimbabwean delegation, as long as they are not on the sanctions list.

Chamisa said he was surprised to hear that his passport had not even been taken to the German Embassy for the visa application. “When I checked with the Germany Embassy they said they had no problems with my visa. So clearly it shows that somebody is associating with mischief within the corridors of parliament and that is quite disturbing because we are prejudicing the nation of the opportunity to represent our own national interests at the international platform.”
The Kuwadzana MP believes this was a strategy to stop people like himself from going to Germany from telling the other delegates, particularly from the African, Caribbean and Pacific block, the truth about what’s happening in Zimbabwe.

Chamisa said the Zimbabwean government is working on a strategy: “Once the delegation has been cancelled you cannot represent the country and once the country cannot be represented it cannot be discussed or debated in absentia. So perhaps this is the strategy they are trying to play.”
The week-long ACP/EU joint parliamentary assembly will start on Monday.
For the last seven years the Zimbabwe situation has threatened to derail this international programme. Scores of ruling party officials are on an EU travel sanctions.