Let’s network 2010 Winter 1

seekers in the UK. Representative Mike Kaye of the Still Human Still Here coalition, addressed the ZA, emphasizing how we can take action, in order to pressure the government to expand the sup-port systems for asylum seekers

within our communities. ZA's annual report highlighted its accomplishment of the 3 year plan targets, made possible by commendable efforts of all the

volunteers, staff and trustees. ZA introduced new patrons Brian Chikwava and Terence Ranger [who could not attend the meet-ing] and Thoko Mazura was offi-cially approved as a ZA Trustee. Delina Mutyambizi and Patrick Sibanda were approved as new members of the Advisory Com-mittee. The ZA states that it will help light the way for Zimbabwe-ans in the UK, and our newly elected and re-elected Trustees and Advisory Committee will help achieve this in the forthcom-ing year. Conclusively this was an enjoyable, memorable and infor-mative afternoon with a tasty lunch, unfortunate for those of

you who could not attend. By Fortune Frizell (ZA office vol)

AGM 2010 Report 31 October 2010 marked ZA's Annual General Meeting (AGM), an event that attracted over 100 members and guests, undoubtedly providing an informative forum for debate and discussion. Mem-ber s vo i ced s ug ges t i on s and concerns particularly upon the impending issues of possible 'enforced removals' and the in-creasing practicality of ZA's drop-

in centres and campaigns. Addressing the congregation,

guest speakers included Chairper-son Lucia Dube of the Zimbabwe Diaspora Focus Group who cited the group’s pledges in her 'How to work together as a Diaspora?' s p e ec h . L u c i a ' s a d v o c a c y o r c o l l a b o r a t i v e i n t e r -organizational group work to ensure that we Zimbabweans speak with 'one voice' in order to facilitate our ‘collective and holistic needs', similarly echoed the communitarian ethos of the Still Human Still Here coalition cam-paign proposals; to end destitution of thousands of refused asylum

ZA 2010 AGM

Early Legal Advice Project (ELAP)

Let’s Network!

Christmas message to our ZA members As the holiday season ap-proaches, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. It is support like yours that makes our job a pleasure and keeps our organization successful. May your holiday season and the New Year be filled with much joy, happiness and suc-cess. We look forward to working with you in the coming

year. Our advice for a Happy Christ-mas is: if you are likely to be detained stay out of trouble and do not drink and drive. Most legal firms are closed during the festive season and you may have difficulties in getting legal representation during that period. You are strongly advised to keep with you an emergency number to call your lawyer if you are de-

tained. Legally aided representatives can be found from Community Legal Advice (CLA) website (http://www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk) or by phone on 0845 345

4345.

ZA office closed from 17 December 2010 to 4 January 2011.

New asylum claims in the Midlands and East of England region, will be dealt with under ELAP from 15th

November 2010. The aim of ELAP is to improve UKBA decision-making. Asylum seekers (eligible for Legal Aid) will be offered an appointment with a legal rep before the asylum interview. More time will be given in preparing a witness statement before the asylum interview, and the legal rep should be present at the asylum interview. All issues to do with the asylum claim should be raised and discussed with the legal rep before the interview

itself. More detailed information on ELAP is available from www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice.html

Winter 2010

Country Guidance Ruling: No news yet on the Country Guidance ruling – It is expected December/January 2011. Any breaking news (during the Festive Season) will be put on the ZA website

2010 AGM was well attended by over100 ZA guests. Pictured (left) are some of the

guests. Pictured (centre) are the ladies who made the great

lunch

Let’s network 2010 Winter 2

If detained, at the first opportu-nity ring your solicitor if you have one, your friend or family members. People are usually detained only when the Home Office has made all the ar-rangements necessary to forcibly remove them from the UK such as preparing travel documents and booking flights. People are being re-moved (to SA and Malawi) very quickly (3 working days

notice is all that is required). For those who are likely to be detained: You are strongly advised to make sure your copy of Home Office file (asylum papers) is left with someone who is not liable to detention and is easy to contact. If detained you can phone this person and ask them to make copies and fax them to yourself and others. (If homeless you must carry this file at all times.) If you are reporting 'You must' inform someone you are going to sign and give them a deadline for a return call saying you have not been detained. (Best practice: someone should accompany you.) This person should have all your details and if they don’t hear from you within the

agreed time, they should con-tact reporting centre/police sta-tion to find out if you have been detained.

The Zimbabwe Association is delighted to welcome two patrons – Professor

Terence Ranger and Brian Chikwava - introduced to members at the 2010 AGM meeting held in London.

What to do if detained

Zimbabwe Association Patrons

Do you want to be a

member of Zimbabwe

Association?

If you want to become

a member of

Zimbabwe

Association, you can

visit our website

www.zimbabweassocia

tion.org.uk and

download a

membership form.

Send the form to the

address on the form

with the correct

membership fee.

If you need more info

on how to become a

member please do call

us on 02075490355 on

Tuesdays and

Thursdays only

between 10am and

4pm

Let’s Network!

Child Detention The coalition government prom-ised to end detention of children for immigration purposes. Yet children are still being held in detention, despite clear evidence that this is harmful. The Prime Minister Hon David Cameron and the deputy Prime Minister Hon Nick Clegg made a number of pledges including ending the

detention of children. Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan in Manchester tabled an EDM at the House of Commons. The EDM calls for MPs to lobby against the detention of children.

Early Day Motions are very good ways of raising issues in parliament, which may not get debated in nor-mal sittings of parliament. In the EDM she called on the Government to amend the asylum process in such a way as to build trust and communication with the families involved, including improving access to good quality legal advice to en-sure that children and families have a fair chance to have their claims heard early on in the process; she urges the Government to fulfil its pledge to end child detention without delay and put in place an asylum and immigration system that takes into account the safety and welfare of children and families. You can contact your MP for free, through: W r i t e T o T h em . C om h t t p : / /

www.writetothem.com Yarlswood detention Centre

Terrance Osborn Ranger is a Prominent African Historian, focus-ing on the history of Zimbabwe. Part of the post-colonial generation of historians, his work spans the pre- and post-Independence period in Zimbabwe. He is a founder mem-

ber of Britain Zimbabwe Society. Brian Chikwava is a Zimbabwean artist and author of novel Harare North, who lives in London. His

short story Seventh Street

Alchemy was awarded the 2004 Caine Prize for African Writing;

Chikwava became the first

Zimbabwean to win the prize.

Let’s network 2010 Winter 3

Email Mailing List Communication is the key to building and maintaining relationships with our members. The Zimbabwe Association would like to con-tact members through emails, thus improving communication. As a member if you want to receive any of the latest news by email please d o s e n d u s y o u r e m a i l t o email@zimbabweassociation.org.uk. We also have a facebook page that you can sign up to. For those who wish to donate any cash on line they can do so by visiting www.zimbabweassociation.org.uk and going to the “donate here” link which is at the bot-

tom of every page.

Disputed Nationalities if you travelled to the UK on a passport of a different nationality to which you are not entitled (South African passport, Malawi passport) it is VITAL that you prove your nationality. This may be helped by getting your solicitor to get a nationality report done by a recognized expert. It may be possible for your solicitor to get a letter from the South African or Malawian High Commission testifying that you are not a South African or a Malawian. Please note the Malawi High Commission has relo-cated to Holborn, London as from Octo-

ber 2010. Your solicitor should request the return of any Zimbabwean ID documents (if you have submitted them to the UKBA) so they can be verified by an expert. We are getting reports of a number of Zimbabwe-ans with disputed nationalities being de-tained and some are removed from the

UK. One long-time member of Zimbabwe As-sociation (who used a Malawian passport to enter UK) was granted leave to remain recently after a very long battle. There is

always hope ....

Renewal of ZA membership If your membership has lapsed, you need to renew it so that you can receive information and our seasonal newsletter. Currently we do not provide an on line renewal system. You should send your renewal fees directly to the office. Cheques, Postal orders and cash are all accepted and receipts are sent for all pay-ments received. (We no longer accept postal stamps as a form of payment.) The annual fee is £5 per year for asylum seekers who are not

working and £15 for others.

Membership Package – What do you

get for being a ZA member?

ZA members get 4 seasonal newsletters per year plus an invitation to the Annual General Meeting. They are eligible for nomination to the Advisory Committee. They are also able to access the office helpline and get detailed help from the office. (From 2011 detailed help will be available from the office to members

only; non-members can still ring for sign-posting and general information.) Mem-bers will also be given information about any training, media, volunteering or job

opportunities that arise.

Why do we want Members to Renew their membership?

• It shows us that members

approve of the ZA

• It means members want the ZA

to continue

• It shows that people who join the ZA are really interested in what we

are doing

Reference Letters and Letters confirming Membership As an organisation we do write letters in support of our members if they need them and if it is appropriate. (We often write reference letters for members who have worked with ZA as volunteers.) Lately we have had requests for refer-ence letters from people who are no

longer ZA members. It is too busy for us to write references

for non-members, so remember to renew your membership subs and stay involved!

LEGAL AID IN CRISIS: The Ministry of Justice is consulting on cutting the Legal Aid budget by £350 million. The consultation can be found at www.jus t ice.gov.uk /consul tat ions/ lega l-a id- reform-151110.htm. The deadline for re-sponses is 14 February 2011. Why was a free Legal Aid system

set up? In 1943, Professor Cohn stated, “Just as the modern State tries to protect the poorer classes against the com-mon dangers of life, such as unem-ployment, disease, old age, social oppression, etc., so it should protect them when legal difficulties arise. In-deed the case for such protection is stronger than the case for any other form of protection. The State is re-sponsible for the law. That law again is made for the protection of all citi-zens, poor and rich alike. It is there-fore the duty of the State to make its machinery work alike, for the rich and the poor.” Legal aid is an insurance policy against abuse of power and incompe-tence. Legal Aid 5 – 2010 Update (22 Nov 2010) is an important information sheet from ILPA outlining the current situation of Legal Aid in immigration and asylum cases. It highlights three developments that have caused (or threaten to cause) further damage to the provision of legal advice and rep-resentation. Go to www.ilpa.org.uk/infoservice.html for more information.

Letter from a ZA member Recent news from Zimbabwe I thought of touring around xxxx area where most of the farm workers were left without employment, I shedded tears seeing women and kids struggling to make ends meet. Most of the children are no longer attending schools, due to malnutrition. They can not have any means of raising money, I spoke to one of the lads who was fishing some ants on an ant hill and I asked him why he couldn’t go to school, he said the parents couldn’t afford to raise money for fees. Secondly, he was so frail due to starvation. My wish is as fellow zimbabweans in diaspora to put more effort in giving some of our donations Eg clothes

shoes etc etc, God Bless AFRICA. I can’t say much, because I’m already shed-

ding tears as I am typing this. By MV

Any interesting news or stories? Readers and members of ZA are invited to submit articles for publication in our seasonal newsletters. If you are interested in contributing an article, please contact

the editor on luka@zimbabweassociation.org.uk or

info@zimbabweassociation.org.uk

Let’s network 2010 Winter 4

Subject Access Request This article explains how you can make a request to see the personal information about you that is held by the UK Border Agency. Such a request is called a Subject Access Request (SAR), and you should expect a response from UKBA within 40

days.

Making a Subject Access Request (SAR) Anyone subject to immigration rules can make a request for information (their immi-gration history) that UKBA hold about them - you do not need any special skills or quali-

fications. To make an SAR, you must provide a cheque or postal order for £10, payable to 'The Home Office Accounting Officer'; and sufficient personal information to enable UKBA to uniquely identify you - for exam-ple, a copy of your passport or driver's li-cense, original utility bills, and your Home Office reference number. If you do not pro-vide these, or if the 'pay' line of the cheque or postal order is not completed correctly, UKBA will reject your application and return it with a letter setting out what is missing.

Your request will not be processed. You can visit our website for a template letter or the UKBA website for more infor-

mation.

Please send your SAR to: DPU SAR UK Border Agency Lunar House 40 Wellesley Road Croydon

CR9 2BY

able universal democratic norms and values.

Zanu PF use interminable rituals and impul-

sive violence to frustrate the fundamental

human rights of its citizens. The brutal mass

killing of Ndebele people in Matebeleland

during the 1980s is a chilling and grave re-

minder of the Mugabe regime’s disregard for

universal human rights and freedom of

choice, expression and liberty. It is clear that

the subsequent Unity Government between

the former ZAPU Party and Zanu PF was

borne out of repression. They used violence

and brutal repression to impose a one-party

state friendly Zimbabwe Constitution.

The process should be a free, fair and trans-

parent one yet, the Mugabe regime is under-

mining it through continued violence, subter-

fuge and propaganda. The same repressive

methods, which undermine people’s funda-

mental and universal human rights, are be-

ing used again with arrogant impunity

against defenceless citizens.

It is tragic that the United Nations Security

Council has for the past years ignored the

brutal repression of human rights in Zim-

babwe despite compelling available evi-

dence. The Zimbabwe Government violated

its own constitutions with impunity from the

advent of independence in 1980 to date. It

has disregarded international law human

rights protocols by refusing to honour judg-

ments by legitimate international courts and

tribunals.

The fraught land reform programme, which

is responsible for the current constitutional

failure was ruled illegal by Mugabe’s own

courts. Typical of its dictatorial and repres-

sive passions, it contrived to manipulate the

constitution to suit its partisan politics.

Mugabe’s regime has been in power for 28

years yet, it never bothered to make a new

and legitimate constitution after the Lancas-

ter House Agreement had expired. Instead,

it took great comfort in making piece-meal

amendments rather than engaging in a

meaningful constitutional reform process for

a legitimate and acceptable democratic con-

stitution for Zimbabwe.

The security forces, that is, the army, air

force and police force are being used to

subvert and corruptly deny, the collective will

of Zimbabweans to choose and write their

own constitution.

The Joint Operations Command brazenly

refused to recognise the MDC Leader-Morgan

Tsvangirayi despite his impeccable political

credentials. There is endemic violence in Zim-

babwe, which has disrupted ongoing constitu-

tional outreach meetings. Both anecdotal and

empirical evidence testifies to the deliberate

under-hand activities of the so-called security

forces. They continue to be Mugabe’s tools of

repression by perpetrating state-sponsored

violence against law-abiding citizens. It is evi-

dent that they are bent on manipulating and

rigging the constitutional referendum outcome

in order to maintain the status quo.

History has a tendency of repeating itself, first

as farce and second, as a tragedy. It is not

over-reaching to assume that the Draft Consti-

tution Making Process is seriously flawed and

fraught with irregularities and is bound to be

manipulated to safeguard ZANU PF’s selfish

interests. The time for right-minded Zimbabwe-

ans to stand up to this dictatorship in order to

ensure that a people-driven constitution ushers

in a genuine democratic dispensation is

now. Ahoy!!

Vimbainashe is a volunteer Community Reporter and co-editor of HAT news based in

Nottingham and a member of Zimbabwe Association. ————————————————————--

—————————————————

Subversion of the

Constitution Making Process

Unacceptable

By Vimbainashe Mangoma

The Mugabe regime has a historical infamy for

dictating and imposing its perspectives and

authoritarian policies on Zimbabweans. Subju-

gation has been Zanu PF’s main weapon of

mass destruction from the days of the libera-

tion struggle to the present. It may have made

sense to legitimise violence against the settled

oppressors during the liberation struggle, but,

there is no rationalisation to employ state-

sponsored violence, intimidation, torture and

terrorism to prevent its people from making

free choices which are consistent with justifi-

2011 elections to be more violent ? By Robert Stigile

The upcoming 2011 national elections in Zim-

babwe could usher in a fresh wave of politi-

cally motivated violence resulting from an un-

committed government organization designed

to curb such attacks, according to the director

of a human rights monitoring group. Jestina

Mukoko, director of political violence watchdog

group the Zimbabwe Peace Project, gave a

speech titled “Political Violence in Zimbabwe:

A Curse or an Age-Old Tradition” on the 2nd

Dec, in which she described fear that next

year’s elections would prove to be more violent

than the one held in 2008, during which the

now-infamous Reign of Terror began.

Mukoko said that Zimbabweans “hate to think

what will happen as we approach an election,”

as everyone since 2000 has seen widespread

acts of violence, mainly against those attempt-

ing to spur change in the government.

http://mainecampus.com/2010/12/05/2011-

zimbabwean-elections-could-be-violent/

Let’s network 2010 Winter 5

Our Drop-In Centres offer a friendly, supportive and safe place for people to visit. There is no limit to how long you can continue to use or visit the drop-in centres. Our vision as an organization is to ex-pand and have more drop-in centres in UK. They are also

places to get information. Drop-in centres are not only for having lunches and social-ising. A lot can be achieved by being a member. Some cen-tres have training opportunities offered by different local or-ganisations. We want to em-

power asylum seekers and refugees, offering choices and assisting people in making decisions about their lives and helping break down the barri-ers of isolation. We encourage members to discover and de-velop their natural skills and talents by having regular guest speakers talking about differ-ent issues. The Manchester Drop-In has started a writing

group. If you have a legal issue with your asylum case, the Zim-babwe Association Advisory Committee and drop-in coordi-

ZA Drop-In Centres

Right to work for asylum seekers

have been waiting for more than twelve months for their cases to be concluded, if they have been refused asylum but temporarily cannot be returned to their country of origin

through no fault of their own Giving asylum seekers permis-sion to work would, offer a route out of poverty for desti-tute refused asylum seekers, reduce the amount the govern-ment spends on asylum sup-port, allow asylum seekers to support themselves and their families while contributing to

the economy The Zimbabwe Association strongly advise everyone who falls into this category to get legal advice from their solici-

tors or lawyers.

Since 2002 people seeking refuge in the UK have been

denied permission to work. People often wait many months or years for a decision on their asylum claim and must live on £5 or less a day from the Government. Some people who have been refused asylum but cannot return home are not given any sup-port at all and depend on

friends and charities, This means that people who have fled torture and persecu-tion are now living in poverty with some completely desti-tute. The sensible solution is to allow asylum seekers to

work and support themselves. ZA is calling on the govern-ment to give asylum seekers permission to work, if they

What cuts will do to asylum seekers The new government's reckless policy of rapid deficit reduction through unprecedented cuts to public services, procurement and education not only poses a grave risk to the lives of asylum seekers but will irreparably damage our genuine claims as fewer law firms

will be offering legal aid. Deficit reduction, fairness and pub-lic services – the government claim that the cuts will reduce inefficiency and protect the vulnerable, rather than reduce service quality and make society more unequal. The legal aid cuts will affect most vul-nerable groups such as asylum seekers who are currently not al-lowed to work and yet may be re-

quired to pay for their own fees. It is deeply regrettable that a num-ber of councils in UK, including Scotland, are now withdrawing their contracts with UKBA (or having their contracts withdrawn by UKBA) for accommodating asylum seek-ers. Most of the asylum seekers who are not on benefits will have to pay for their own appeal fees. Fears are being raised that cuts to the Legal Aid service could lead to asylum seekers living and working

in UK illegally. A significant number of law firms and solicitors have given up on immigration work, claiming the lack of investment in Legal Aid. This means asylum seekers may be forced to work illegally in order to

pay for private advice. www.refugeecouncil.org.uk

nators are not allowed to provide any legal advice. We strongly recommend that you get legal help from your legal representative. If

you need help in contacting your legal rep or in finding a legal rep please call the ZA Office or phone Community

Legal Advice on 0845 345 4345. All are welcome at the drop in centres. You can be a member of ZA. For more information on how to become a member of ZA go to

Refugee Migrant and Justice Closure

Sadly, because of a cash-flow problem due to changes in

the legal aid system which left Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) waiting for up to 2 years for payment, RMJ , one of the largest providers of legal help to the migrant community in the UK has closed down. If you were their client and you are still having difficulties in

getting a NEW SOLICITOR please do contact Community Legal Advice helpline on 0845 345 4345.

Thank you Palesa Mot-some and the SACP for kindness to the starving - and for remembering the help given by so many Zimbabweans when their SA brothers were strug-

gling against apartheid! (from: Sokwanele newslet-ter, 23 November 2010)

Last but not least we end with an example of how Zanu-PF responds to humanitarian crises, with a report from Johannesburg, South Africa, where hundreds of thou-sands of Zimbabweans have fled to find work, and are living under ex-tremely harsh conditions. The Zimbabwe consulate in Johannesburg has stopped the South African Communist Party (SACP) from giving soup to starving Zimbabweans. An SACP official said that the Consul General Chris Ma-panga told them to stop as it was "embarrassing the Zimbabwean commu-nity". Mothusi Mongele from SACP said, "The Consul said the Zimbabwe-ans are working and can feed themselves.... if there is anyone who is starving they will send him with the next bus to Zimbabwe." Palesa Mot-some from SACP said "We are a party that cares for the marginalised. Zim-babweans have assisted us before."

Section 4 Support If your asylum application has been rejected and you have exhausted all your appeal rights you may be able to receive short-term support while you are still in UK. This support is known as section 4 support. For more infor-mation about the UKBA support go to

the www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

Let’s network 2010 Winter 6

We encourage you as members of the ZA to contribute as much as you can to the content of future newsletters and to take part in all our activities and events organized by Zimbabwe Association. We welcome your articles,

especially if they are about organizations or groups that are doing things in your area to help women and children. Articles published in the newsletter will be confidential and your name will not appear without your consent. Please note that some of the articles in this newsletter do not reflect the views of Zimbabwe Association.

Wishing you happy holidays from the editor

and the ZA staff

We need champions to help Zimbabwean refugees in the UK

Zimbabwe Association supports its members through its advice phone lines, Drop In Centres in Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester, legal signposting, detention work, research, campaign and

lobbying and a small destitution fund for those most in need.

YOU can keep this work going by finding a Zimbabwe Association Champion who will help by: Making a minimum donation of £5 per month or

A one off payment of £100 per year CHAMPIONS will receive a regular lively electronic newsletter which will let them know how their money is helping others.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO OUR PEOPLE!

“We wish to thank you for your support and kindness when we faced tribulations. We would not have pulled through without your support.” ZA Member

Visit our website and set up your direct debit today - www.zimbabweassociation.org.uk or call the office on 0207 549 0355

Disclaimer This Newsletter only provides general information and guid-ance. It is not intended to re-place the advice or services of a solicitor. The specific facts that apply to your matter may make the outcome different than would be anticipated by you. The Zimbabwe Association and the Editor will not accept any liability for any claims or incon-venience as a result of the use

of this information. Editor

ZA Contact Details

Development House

56-64 Leonard Street

London EC2A 4LT

tel: 020 7549 0355

fax: 020 7549 0356

email: info@zimbabweassociation.org.uk

Nearest tube: Old Street

(Northern line)

Please contact us to make an ap-

pointment before coming to the

office

For opening times of the Birmingham, Leicester and Manchester Drop Ins in the New Year, call the office or visit

www.zimbabweassociation.org.uk