20th March 2025 FCDO Meeting

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Written by: John Burke

Published: 22 March 2025

Last Updated: 22 March 2025

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• FCDO Meeting
• UK Ambassador to Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe Desk
• All African Desk

####-- Collaborative Press Release 

Link to PDF Press Release

20^th March 2025 3:30pm

Thursday, 20th March 2025, our ‘diaspora collaborative group’ held a face-to-face meeting with three important members of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, (FCDO) at their offices in King Charles Street, London: SW1A 2AH. We were also unexpectedly joined by British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Peter Vowles, who devoted 15 minutes from his busy schedule to be with us in the meeting.

There will be further joint statements about this welcome development very shortly.

Initiated by the FCDO, in requesting such an event, their initiative was as a result of a subtle change in focus by FCDO plus the 12 joint petitions delivered to the PM and the FCDO by our ‘diaspora collective group’ over the last 30 months. Summarised at the web link below;

Web Link to Petition Summary: 30-months-of-petitions

MyR2Vote/Z-DC.com {Zimbabwe Diaspora Coalition} was represented by Chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Felix Ndiweni; ROHR Zimbabwe were represented by Panyika Karimanzira (ROHR Zimbabwe Spokesperson) and Renee Brenda Langa (UK Chapter Deputy Information & Publicity Secretary), ZHRO was represented by John Burke (Founder) and Rashiwe Bayisayi, ZAPU was represented by Christopher Maphosa (PEC Europe Province Chairperson), Cannicious Nkala (Admin Sec. Europe) and Mlindelwa Vundhla (NPC Europe Chair) and with CCC Southend-on -Sea represented by Tatenda Changambika (standing in for Stanford Biti).

Ends --###

Press Release TEXT version 20th July Global Petitions by Diaspora

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Written by: John Burke

Published: 14 July 2022

Last Updated: 14 July 2022

Hits: 1373

###BEGINS###

On the 20th July 2022 in the UK we have organised multiple petitions:

• Prior to this we and our supporters will deliver petitions to FCDO ( Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office and the Minister for Africa - possibly Vicky Ford? But with the new Government who knows)
• To the Ambassador to the Embassy of Senegal (As the Senegal President is currently Chair of the AU)
• To the Namibian Consulate (As the Namibian President is Chair of SADC)
• The the BBC (close to the Namibian Consulate)
• Then a surprise visit to our Zimbabwe Embassy and the Zanu PF "criminals" who are in "Illegal Occupation"!

Now we should like the global disapora to try a similar exercise in their locality. Firstly to check on the address, ambassador/high commissioner names and e-mails of all the Embassies of Senegal, Consulates af Namiba, and the Embassies of Zimbabwe, please access this PDF with live web links [thanks go to https://www.embassypages.com/ for all this data] to them all 

Then you can copy the profoma body text [below - with Read More/Pages] to the Senagal Embassies and Namibian Consulates as shown here. Replace the name of the Ambassador with the name from the PDF database above. Also get the e-mail so you can send them "Notice of Petition Hand Over" [ before the 20th July 2022 the written petition will be available with an update to this article.]

Senegal Embassy pre-petition Notice Text

Essential Principles

"Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. . . . The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."

Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

INSERT AMBASSADOR NAME HERE, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal,

Since Senegal’s President Macky SALL, is the current Chair of the African Union (AU), we are respectfully writing to you to seek your valued influence within the AU. We are appealing to His Excellency the President, to cast his attention towards Zimbabwe’s worsening democratic performance.

As the Zimbabwean 2023 General Elections gets closer, the current regime seems more inclined to ‘suspend’ democracy, the rule of law and their Constitution. Their 2018 election left many questions unanswered.

As you are aware AU’s core values in respect of ‘Democracy and Human Rights’ is to uphold free and fair elections within all member States.

External criticism of Zimbabwe’s human rights by Amnesty International in their 2021 assessment points to a further deteriorating Human Rights situation.

To this end we are seeking permission to hand over a written petition to your Embassy on the afternoon of the 20th July 2022. A purely ceremonial affair without any obligation upon yourself to meet with our delegation

We seek your esteemed influence in the above matter.

We remain respectfully yours, on behalf of all opposition political parties.

• My Right 2 Vote:                                                                   Chief Inkhosi Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni; Founder
• Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe (ROHR):                Mr P A Karimanzira; Spokesperson
• Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation:                               M J C Burke; Founder

Namibain Consulates pre-petition Notice Text

Essential Principles

"Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. . . . The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures."

Article 21, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

INSERT HIGH COMMISSIONERS NAME HERE, High Commissioner

Since Namibia’s President, Hage Geingob, is the current Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), we are respectfully writing to you to seek your valued influence within SADC.

We are appealing to His Excellency the President, to cast his attention towards Zimbabwe’s worsening democratic performance.

As their 2023 General Elections gets closer, the current regime seems more inclined to ‘suspend’ democracy, the rule of law and their Constitution. Their 2018 election left many questions unanswered.

As you are aware SADC’s ethos in this respect is to uphold free and fair elections within all member States.

External criticism of Zimbabwe’s human rights by Amnesty International in their 2021 assessment points to a further deteriorating Human Rights situation.

To this end we are seeking permission to hand over a written petition to your Consulate on the afternoon of the 20th July 2022. A purely ceremonial affair without any obligation upon yourself to meet with our delegation.

We seek your esteemed influence in the above matter.

We remain respectfully yours,

• My Right 2 Vote:                                                                   Chief Inkhosi Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni; Founder
• Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe (ROHR):                Mr P A Karimanzira; Spokesperson
• Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation:                               M J C Burke; Founder

###ENDS###

Walk Drone Video

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Written by: John Burke

Published: 11 May 2020

Last Updated: 26 June 2022

Hits: 3376

This page shows the 2017 walkers [Walk for Freedom] climbing towards Devil's Dyke in the South Downs and then singing at the top before climbing down the other side leaving us treking across the field towards Henfield.

Those that wish to do the same Walk for Freedom on 13th August 2022 [Meet at 5:30 AM at the Entrance to BRIGHTON PIER] then See the EVENT LINK on our Facebook Page CLICK TO ACCESS FROM HERE ON A NEW PAGE