Staff Reporter| The Joice Mujuru led Zimbabwe People First says it will close the Zimbabwean embassy in South Africa if efforts to get Zimbabweans living in the diaspora to vote from their countries of residence fail.
Speaking on South African E News Channel this morning, the party’s South Africa Provincial Coordinator Lawrence Mavhaire said that if the Zimbabwean Government fails to uphold the constitutional provision giving every Zimbabwean a right to vote regardless of where they are, Zimbabweans living in South Africa will march to the embassy and close it down.
“If we are not granted our right to vote we will march to the embassy and force it to close down because it will not be serving any purpose,” said Mavhaire.
The South African based members of the party will today march to the Zimbabwean embassy to present a petition signed by Zimbabweans based in South Africa demanding that they be given a right to vote from South Africa in the next election.
Mavhaire said that the Zimbabweans’ petition to the ambassador is demanding parliament to immediately align the Electoral Act to the constitutional provisions to make it possible for all Zimbabweans living outside the country to vote.
“If parliament fails to address the matter we will take it up with the Constitutional Court which must make a ruling to out law the Electoral Act provision,” he said.
Asked if the demand was only for Zimbabweans based in South Africa, Mavhaire said that the demand is for all Zimbabweans living outside the country and his party is busy mobilising similar demonstrations elsewhere in the diaspora.
It is estimated that about six million adult Zimbabweans are living outside the country with about three million of those in South Africa only.