HUMAN RIGHTS
More than
seven years ago,
teacher Matthew
Sanyanga fled
‘I want
Zimbabwe after being beaten
for standing up against
Robert Mugabe’s regime. He
talks to Sara Dixon about
to go
the human rights abuses in
his country and his dream of
returning home to his family
UMPING UP and down like a small child, home’
J
emphasising his point with excitement,
Matthew Sanyanga declares: “I want to go
home, I want to go home.” It is like years
have dropped off him.
This maths teacher has two daughters at
home he hasn’t seen for seven years.
“The picture of coming home after a hard day’s
work and sitting down with my kids, with my family
and having a family dinner would be my dream
come true. That’s all I really want,” the 48-year-old
explained.
On the face of it, it is a simple enough dream, but
in a complicated world it is hard, Mr Sanyanga says, to
make it a reality.
He has a major problem as his home is in Harare,
Zimbabwe. He has not been back there for seven
years. A widower since 1997, his two daughters Tariro
(meaning Hope) and Varaidzo (meaning Comforter) are Apocalypse have been cutting an increasingly violent violates many rights and freedoms that we take for Maybe he was being a bit naïve. His youngest
being raised by his parents in the country’s capital. swathe through his country. granted in the UK. daughter, now 13, was not quite so hopeful. “She said
His problems began when he refused to tow the Drought, an AIDS epidemic that sees over 15 per They maintain Mugabe’s government violates the ‘Dad you will not be back’, she had seen the violence
ruling party line and indoctrinate his pupils into the cult cent of the country infected with HIV, and Mugabe’s right to shelter, food, freedom of movement, freedom on the streets,” recalls Mr Sanyanga.
of Robert Mugabe. violent rule with its rampant inflation and empty of assembly, and the protection of the law. She was right, the violence got worse, and seven
Small even by Zimbabwean standards, Mr Sanyanga shelves have brought this potential bread-basket of Numerous assaults on the media, political opposition years on it is still a return journey he is too frightened
cuts a very diminutive figure in England, where he has Africa to its knees. and human rights defenders have been reported, and to make.
been living since April 2001. Zimbabwe according to human rights organisations newspapers critical of the government have closed after As late as this June, just after the March elections,
Since then, the three horsemen of the Zimbabwean like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch bombs exploded at their offices and the government the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
refused to renew their licences. reported that its members were being abducted and
BBC News, Sky and CNN have all been banned assaulted before being released. Offices of the union
from the southern African country and are forced to were also said to be ransacked.
make reports from neighbouring South Africa. Even Mr Sanyanga hopes, but doubts, that the recent
British Airways has ceased to fly to Harare. power-sharing deal brokered between Mugabe’s ZanuPF
But along with the explicit abuses and threat of and Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic
violence, Mr Sanyanga says there were implicit, subtler Change will work and allow him to return home.
ways of controlling the people – starting with the At the moment he is applying for asylum after a
children. previous claim was turned down by the Home Office
“I was under pressure to get the children to believe as they did not believe the level of violence against
that ZanuPF ideology was the only ideology,” he teachers was so severe.
explained. This is not Mr Sanyanga’s experience though and he
“Robert Mugabe (himself a former teacher) wanted his making a fresh claim.
to try to get the children to believe that ZanuPF thinking “A lot of teachers were killed and murdered between
was the right way of thinking, and that opposing 1998 and now,” he told me, “although the numbers had
ZanuPF would be like being an enemy of the state.” a peak early 2001, 2002 and soon after the referendum.
It was a request that went against this teacher’s But violence against teachers has been, and is, very
fundamental beliefs – but in Zimbabwe, going against serious.”
Height Adjustable
government edicts put the maths teacher in a dangerous At the moment, under Home Office rules, Mr
position. Sanyanga is unable to work and manages to survive
“At a young age children tend to copy what they see thanks to his aunt.
Classroom Tables & Chairs
happening in the community, they are very receptive He is campaigning for the Home Office to allow
and vulnerable and it is easy to get them to channel their asylum seekers to work, a campaign that Trades Union
thoughts in a certain way,” Mr Sanyanga continued. Congress union leaders and the Refugee Council have
Children come in different shapes “I have a very strong belief in letting the children got behind.
& sizes so why should they all have choose what they would like to do. But also providing Currently the UK is not deporting failed asylum
to work at the same height tables them with the choices and letting them know both sides seekers to Zimbabwe while a test case arguing that it is
or sit on the same height chairs? so they can make an informed choice. Kids should be too dangerous a country to be returned to goes through
able to make up their own minds. our judicial system.
The ergonomic height adjustable
“I made a moral stand. I didn’t know it would cost A spokeswoman for the Refugee Council said:
system from MA Interiors helps
me so much.” “It is disgraceful that so many Zimbabweans are
improve both posture & blood
At first, Mr Sanyanga said he just faced social prevented from working in the UK. The government
circulation by allowing each
isolation. That was before the beatings. Refusing to join is not removing anyone to Zimbabwe at the moment
individual student the capability
the ZanuPF party and “indoctrinate” his pupils marked – but has made no provisions for those left here
of adjusting the chair & table
to a suitable position. This will in
his card. without any entitlement to work or, in many cases, to
turn help to increase the mental
“I remember two guys came to my house and started any support at all.
agility of the student
shouting at me because I didn’t attend the meeting and “There is some hope for the future of Zimbabwe,
wasn’t part of ZanuPF. I told them I didn’t believe in the and most Zimbabweans will return home as soon as it is
The tops are laminate with ZanuPF way. This was in front of my children. safe for them to do so,” Mr Sanyanga said. “Until then,
Beech wood rounded edges “They did go ago away, but a few days later at it is a tragic waste not to be able to use their skills and
& the frame colour options the local shopping centre a group of guys beat me up expertise while they are here.”
are Blue, Green or Red because I was not part of ZanuPF. For now he lives in fear that he will one day be
“I ran away and I went to my mother’s. Unfortunately returned to Zimbabwe where his return will be noted
Please contact us with details
I met a group of army soldiers and they heard me and he will be persecuted or become one of the
of your requirements
talking about the Mugabe people, they heard me laugh disappeared.
020-7738-5454
about it and I was in trouble. So for the time being his simple dream of a family
sales@mainteriors.co.uk
“That’s when they beat me. They fractured my wrist. dinner is a long way off.
www.mainteriors.co.uk
I had to run at that point and was living from friend to In a statement born out of bitter personal experience,
friend and trying to find ways of getting out of the he said: “It is a dangerous situation for people in
country. My time was up, I couldn’t go back home.” Zimbabwe, dangerous for people who stand up for
Mr Sanyanga went into hiding for two and half democracy.” SecEd
months.
Desperate to leave Zimbabwe, Mr Sanyanga found • Sara Dixon is a freelance journalist.
a lifeline in an English school advertising for maths
Workspace solutions with the personal touch
teachers on the internet and on April 4, 2001, he took a
Further information
flight due north thinking he could return in two weeks www.amnesty.org.uk/education
MA Interiors Ltd • St Jude’s Church • Dulwich Road • London SE24 0PB
to pick up his daughters. www.refugeecouncil.org.uk
SecEd • November 13 2008 15
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