By Tichaona Sibanda
26 February 2010
Millions of Zimbabweans living in exile could still be denied their voting rights under the proposed ZANU PF nationality programme.
The former ruling party’s position paper on the new constitution proposes that on issues of citizenship and the bill of rights only children born in the Diaspora would be allowed duel citizenship. This paper is being distributed to party supporters in readiness for the constitutional outreach programme.
Analysts view this is a tactical maneuver by ZANU PF as millions of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora would potentially be disqualified from taking part in the next general election under a new constitution.
At least three million Zimbabweans are said to be living outside the country, the majority of them in South Africa, having fled political repression and poverty after a decade-long economic crisis blamed on Robert Mugabe’s controversial policies, including his farm seizure programme.
Following the 2000 parliamentary elections, in which ZANU PF beat the MDC with the narrowest of margins (six seats) the government in 2001 enacted a law that stripped citizenship status and rights of close to 1.5 million Zimbabwean mine and commercial farm workers born of parents from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. This exercise resulted in statelessness for all these individuals who were also denied the right to vote in the 2002 Presidential elections.
Zimbabwe bars dual citizenship, and a 2003 amendment to the Citizenship Act tightened the law by requiring Zimbabweans who were once citizens of other countries or whose parents were once foreigners to formally renounce that ‘foreign citizenship’ in order to qualify for Zimbabwean citizenship.
Exiled former ZBC reporter and political analyst Bekithemba Mhlanga said it is common knowledge that ZANU PF is aware that probably the majority of that constituency in exile do not subscribe to ZANU PF politics.
“So they (ZANU PF) will try by hook or crook to stop people in the Diaspora from voting in Zimbabwe. But since this is a proposal by ZANU PF, it is not guaranteed that this will sail through Parliament under the current legislative set up. I regard this as election posturing,” Mhlanga said.
Josh Chigwangwa, another exiled Zimbabwean living in the UK said the proposal by ZANU PF was ‘very dangerous’ in that it sought to separate children from their parents.
“Instead of embracing the national healing concept they still want to alienate the millions of Zimbabweans living in exile. This is why we are urging the inclusive government to make changes to the law where necessary to enable thousands of Zimbabweans who lost their citizenship, or who have acquired citizenship of other countries to participate in national affairs,” Chigwangwa said.
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