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The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary – General Mr Raymond Majongwe has threatened to take the government to court for failing to address hunger and schooling equipment for school children after 38 years of independence.
THIRTY EIGHT YEARS AFTER INDEPENDANCE, under Zanu pf rule, Zimbabwe schools still lack basic equipment for school. When I went to school in grade one in Morgenster Masvingo Zimbabwe, it was a, then pleasant experience to have a black piece of charcoal from used firewood, to use.
My experience back in grade 1 in 1977, barefoot and just thankful to be in class, involved writing on the walkways, pavement slabs using charcoal and the teachers would then inspect our work and then when the lesson was over, we would wash the concrete walkways or pavement slabs, then as soon as the sun dried the slabs, write our next subjects on the same slabs using charcoal. That was Monday to Friday classwork and nothing to complain about because the school also specialised in teaching the deaf, so everyone appreciated what they could gain from the education.
I remember that on Sundays, most of us would be in Church again ‘Dutch Reformed’ and the sitting arrangement was, one side specifically for whites and the other for blacks, and that was in church where we were all worshiping one God.
Weekends would also include regular visits to Great Zimbabwe ruins and Kyle dam a few kilometres away, where again blacks were not allowed in toilets.
This was the time of the racist white Rhodesian Ian Smith regime and pavements in cities were reserved for whites while blacks had to walk on the roadside.
It is shocking that 38 years after independance, pupils in Zimbabwe’s rural and farm schools,suffer from hunger and lack of schooling equipment.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary – General Mr Raymond Majongwe has threatened to take the Mnangagwa Zanu ps stalwart and securocrat regime to court over such failures 38 years after independance, with hungry, barefoot children walking sometimes as much as 15 km to the nearest school made up of shacks with no desks or chairs.
This is why I’m so passionate about racism and I stand up and speak out for the oppressed. At times in life, one may be comfortable, but its no excuse for forgetting there are those who continue to suffer the impact of this discrimination to date even in the first world.
In Britain, in particular, Brexit has come to painfully remind prejudiced immigrants about how much they are prejudiced in life and discriminated against, clearly asign that most achievements are on paper, but in practice, they never materialise.
A greatest reminder to me was June 2017 when I chose to travel to Europe to explore Europe for the first time since arriving in Britain in 2000. I flew from East Midlands airport went to an island in Spain called Fuerteventura and enjoyed a weeks holiday there, returned to East Midlands airport had a warm welcome from immigration and went home to Sheffield Britain.
About three days later I left for Rome on board Belgian Airlines from Manchester airport.
The journey meant a short hop to Belgium, and less than an hour later board a separate Belgian airline and continue to Rome. I enjoyed the site seeing in Rome and visit the colosseum and the Vatican amongst other places.
It was all a pleasant experience and then three days later I boarded Belgian airlines, and travelled back to Manchester Britain via the brief flight changeover in transit in belgium from Belgian airlines to another Belgian airlines but was delayed in the immigration queue and on arrival at the departure gate, I was told the flight had gone, however they were helpful and advised me even though it was about 8am, I would be transferred on to a British Airways flight, now to Heathrow instead of direct to Manchester and then I would connect on another British airways flight from Heathrow to Manchester.
I just thought, as long as I sleep in my bed whatever it takes, I want to go home as it felt too surreal to be in that place after the horrendous experiences last year but I had to deal with it and wait all day till my evening departure from Belgium.
The real issue and strongest reminder of what it meant to be an immigrant was on arrival at Heathrow that evening, tired, hungry and frustrated and I watched as all of a sudden I was told blah blah, your UK residence status is cancelled while we investigate and I can now inform you that you are liable to be removed from the UK , blah blah. I could only sit and question, really? It took a team of three immigration officers in another office doing whatever investigations before, they finally came over after what felt like 15 minutes or more to then ask me to come through to an office so we could discuss in private.
I stood my ground, and said anything thats discussed or said will be here in public in front of the que of passengers.
I sat down while the three stood in cow horn formation and then the ‘inquiry’ started, what do you have in your bag, anything paper, items etc illegal or you shouldnt have if I search your bag, who did you see in Rome, were you asked to carry anything etc , why did you travel to Spain then to Rome just like that.
I kept my cool because being a writer I was already miles ahead and thinking,..yeah thats right, keep talking, you might just give me astory to write about soon, so I was calm, not bothered knowing no matter how long they delay me, they are obliged to either put me up in decent accomodation until they find out whatever they want or, when ready to put me on any flight to my destination. I therefore relaxed because all I could see was the funny side of it, how a decent person is suddenly forced to fit a profile to make up detention numbers,..what a sad life, then again thats what one pays for being an immigrant.
I was by now tired of this and all I just said was suit yourself and oh, by the way, I actually dont have my bag, as you know, my bag would have been removed from the flight because I wasnt there and no flight takes off with an unaccompanied bag. He went on to say, I have my ways, I can get it here and search it, blah blah. I just said suit yourself, and I was just laughing that it would obviously be funny finding that all I had was two days clothing, a bible and a Zimbabwean flag, and more so, that particular airport in my view considering last years horrors would have thouroughly searched my bag and if anything was out of order, informed authorities in Britain.
However I believe after what felt like half an hour of interrogation, he then finally said, I have no more questions unless if you have any to his colleagues. They had been quiet throughout and just shook their heads and I was given my passport and proceeded to be the last passenger on the departing British airways ready to leave for Manchester and my bag was delivered to my doorsted two days later by the airline.
I cant prove it but my own research showed that, a combination of things worked against me, including that the Spanish Island Fuerteventura is said to be one of the nearest points to the coast of Africa from Spain and Rome again is close to the African coast and both areas were point of arrivals of mass immigrants boat rides, including about 1000 off a ship in Rome the week before my arrival there, add the horrors of the Belgian airport and I certainly, being an immigrant, must have fitted the profile of such a sad life. To understand, the shock and pain of such an experience, you’d have to have lived through it, but that changed my calm approach towards any form of discrimination towards me in Britain and I now speak out against racial discrimination as seen on my timeline,…its wrong!
However this experience and all else I was enduring and witnessing with respect to being an immigrant in Britain, was maybe a neccessary experience as it triggered my rush into changing my United Nations Refugeee, Permanant UK settlement status to British because I knew then, 2017 of my stay in UK that as an immigrant, you will face jeorpardy most of the way. I then had to spend £100 to a recognised Leeds Institution and prove that I understand English and can communicate in English.
The interview took five minutes , I guess just to be sure that Im not one of the ‘me no speak English immigrants’ . That and other requirements settled my transition or naturalisation to become a British citizen. The whole process, including Language 5 minute test, British citizenship application, naturalisation ceremony and British passport cost me a cool £1,400 yet several years back when I chose not to do it, it was literally afree service, no wonder they say in life, strike while the iron is still hot.
As costs shot up, I generally the motivation to do it because I was entitled to it but at the same time I was happy with permanant UK settlement status £0,00, basically maintaining one’s nationality, while holding the same rights throughout as a British citizen which still always made me respect the law of the country and the Queen, but thats the law for you. The government in a sense discovered a source of revenue from the thousands that are naturalised each year. I also did not want to be at the fore front fighting the despot Mugabe and hiding behind British Nationality but now Mugabe has fallen, I can enjoy being British sit back and say, my work is done,..lol!
It was horrible because I imagined Mugabe, celebrating and personally coming to collect me from the airport and saying,..’now what do you have to say for yourself young man,…pheeew!’ With a back ground like mine, It was absolutely horrendous, but its such things that awaken you to what it means being an immigrant and accelerated my transition from being a permanantly settled UK,.. UN refugee. This experience is one never to forget, with my kind of back ground…INFORMATION IS POWER!- Please email all your articles, photos and breaking news, to newzimbabwe.vision@yahoo.com or whatsapp to Mr Sibusiso Ngwenya 0044 749 1 333 603
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Sibusiso Ngwenya
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