Zimbabweans living in Durban say while the country needs change, they are not sure that incoming President Emmerson Mnangagwa is the right man for the job.
Mnangagwa will be sworn in, in the next 48 hours after successfully forcing former president Robert Mugabe to resign.
Young Zimbabweans, who live in the Durban CBD, say they want to see what happens in next year’s Zimbabwean election and then consider going home.
“I am so proud because I was supposed to be in my country now, but I am here in South Africa and I’m struggling here. So I’m happy maybe we are going to have jobs there in Zimbabwe as long as Mugabe is moved on, we don’t know but Mnangagwa,” says a Zimbabwean.
“What I am not so sure about is removing Mugabe… and Mngangagwa coming in I think it’s a soup cooking in the same pot you see. Maybe we will see in the elections, people in Zimbabwe they really need a change of the ruling party. If things changes most of the people who are here they will leave for the country because home is best and people sacrifice a lot to come here,” adds another Zimbabwean.
Director at NGO Democracy Development Program, Dr Rama Naidu says Zimbabweans have long since felt abandoned by several structures designed to uphold democracy.
“It came to a head that, the MDC in 2008 when elections took place, the MDC was the winner but then we have something like SADC and OAU supporting Mugabe and keeping him in power against the will of the people. I think that sent the wrong message to people of Zimbabwe. Because the whole of Africa is pro Mugabe and anti-us as citizens of Zimbabwe so I think they lost the will to fight that the world was not listening to them. The SADC has let them down really bad including South Africa, and that there were on their own.”
