Good morning, friends, activists, and freedom fighters
Today, we gather here in Leeds, united in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, to raise our voices and our footsteps in the Walk for Freedom. This is not just a march; it is a movement—a cry for justice, a demand for accountability, and a reminder to the world that the people of Zimbabwe deserve to live in a nation where freedom, democracy, and human dignity are not just ideals, but realities.
For decades, Zimbabwe has suffered under a regime that silences dissent, rigs elections, and brutalizes its own citizens. Journalists like Blessed Mhlanga are imprisoned for speaking truth to power. Activists are abducted and murdered, like Tapfumanei Masaya, whose body was dumped on the streets of Harare for daring to campaign for change.
The Zimbabwean government claims to uphold democracy, yet it bans protests, arrests demonstrators, and deploys soldiers to crush dissent—just as we saw on March 31, 2025, when cities fell silent not in peace, but in fear.
Our walk today carries a clear message:
- Zimbabwe deserves free and fair elections—not the sham votes orchestrated by ZANU-PF and the compromised Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) .
- Human rights must be protected—political prisoners must be freed, and state-sponsored violence must end.
- The diaspora must have a voice—Zimbabweans abroad must be allowed to vote and shape their nation’s future.
And let us remember—our fight is not just political, it is personal. For many of us, these walks are more than activism; they are healing. They remind us that we are not alone, that our voices matter, and that every step we take is a step toward liberation.
So today, as we walk through Meanwood Valley Trail, let every step be a defiance against tyranny. Let every chant echo the cries of those silenced back home. And let our presence here send a message to Mnangagwa’s regime: The world is watching. Zimbabwe will be free.
Join us. Walk with us. Fight with us.
Evy Kagandi
Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO)
