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- Written by: Charles Kanyimo from Newsday Zimbabwe
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Backlash as Auxillia Mnangagwa named FLAIR Summit’s keynote speaker
First published in Zimbabwe on 7th June 2025 in Newsday: See Original article
The upcoming First Ladies of African Impact and Resilience (FLAIR) Summit in London was supposed to be a celebration of women’s leadership. Instead, it has become a lightning rod for controversy. The decision to invite Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, as a key speaker is not just questionable, it’s indefensible, given how entangled she is in corruption scandals and human rights abuses back home.
For Zimbabweans worldwide, Mnangagwa’s inclusion is a bitter insult. The Mnangagwa regime, with Auxillia playing a central role, has presided over a period marked by political repression, media crackdowns, and the siphoning of state resources. Auxillia Mnangagwa was directly implicated in the explosive “Gold Mafia” documentary, which documented how Zimbabwe’s gold reserves were plundered through elaborate smuggling and laundering operations, enriching the elite while ordinary citizens suffered.
The United States Treasury has sanctioned Auxillia for facilitating her husband’s corrupt activities, yet here she is, being given a global platform to pose as a champion for women and resilience. How can the FLAIR Summit, which claims to empower African women and advance accountability, justify such a choice? The answer is as clear as it is cynical: the promise of prestige and powerful connections outweighed principle.
Adding to the summit’s credibility crisis, organisers widely advertised that Dawn Butler, a prominent UK Member of Parliament, would be speaking at the event. But after diligent investigative work by the Zim for All Foundation, it was revealed that MP Butler had never agreed to speak and refused any involvement with the summit. The same pattern unfolded with Barclays and the House of Lords. Both were listed either as partners or participants but later distanced themselves from the gathering after inquiries, exposing an attempt by organisers to inflate the event’s legitimacy.
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- Written by: Catherine Lebadou, Human Rights Activist, CCC Manchester Branch
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Disinformation and Distraction: The Curious Timing of a Zimbabwean Tragedy in the UK
A recent report from Gambakwe Media claims that eight Zimbabweans died in a car crash in the UK while returning from a graduation ceremony. However, the story has not been corroborated by any UK-based news outlets, raising concerns about its authenticity. Given the timing of this claim—coinciding with planned protests against Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa—it is worth examining whether this report serves as a distraction from critical human rights activism.
Auxillia Mnangagwa is scheduled to attend the First Ladies African Impact & Resilience (FLAIR) Summit in London. Her visit has sparked protests from exiled Zimbabweans, many of whom fled Zimbabwe due to ZANU-PF policies. Human rights activists in CCC argue that her presence at the summit is an insult to victims of state brutality, given her association with a government accused of human rights abuses and political repression.
At the same time, the UK government recently delisted sanctions against four Zimbabwean officials—Owen Ncube, Isaac Moyo, Godwin Matanga, and Anselem Sanyatwe—as well as the Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI). These individuals had been sanctioned for intimidation, abduction, and violence against opposition figures. The timing of this decision has raised concerns among activists, particularly those aligned with the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who may challenge the UK government’s move.
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- Written by: Lloyd Shumbayaonda, Human Rights Activist and CCC Vice Treasurer, Manchester Branch
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Condemnation of Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Role in Zimbabwe's Repression
Auxillia Mnangagwa, the First Lady of Zimbabwe, has become a symbol of the brutal regime under her husband, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Accusations of corruption, human rights abuses, and her alleged complicity in the country's collapse have triggered widespread condemnation. As such, her presence at international forums like the #FLAIR Summit must be questioned.
A regime that thrives on repression and exploitation has no place in global discourse on progress and human rights
Allegations of Human Rights Abuses
The First Lady’s role in Zimbabwe’s ongoing human rights violations cannot be ignored. The United States, in 2024, imposed sanctions on both Auxillia Mnangagwa and her husband, citing their involvement in corruption, abuse of power, and the systematic repression of opposition voices.
These sanctions underline the gravity of the situation, drawing attention to her role in perpetuating a regime responsible for abductions, arbitrary arrests, and widespread political violence.
Under the Mnangagwa administration, thousands of Zimbabweans have suffered from politically motivated kidnappings, torture, and detention. Critics allege that Auxillia Mnangagwa is part of the system that seeks to silence dissent through fear and intimidation. Her activities, whether directly or indirectly, contribute to a regime that has earned global censure for its ruthless tactics.
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- Written by: Mellisa Mbavarira
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I speak today not out of convenience, but out of outrage.
Empowerment or Endorsement? Hosting Auxillia Mnangagwa at the FLAIR Summit Sends the Wrong Message to the people she’s representing. While Zimbabwean women suffer under her husband’s oppressive regime, honouring her isn’t empowerment — it’s complicity in our pain
- Zimbabwe’s healthcare system is in a state of collapse.
- Around 2,500 women die in childbirth every year due to a lack of basic medical resources. In January alone, nearly 300 newborns tragically died.
- The Sally Mugabe Hospital, still relies on a single maternity theatre built in 1977, during Ian Smith’s regime.
- Today, women are forced to give birth on filthy hospital floors, without proper care or equipment, while critical life-saving tools lie broken or completely absent.
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- Written by: Nobukhosi Dube
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Auxillia Mnangagwa's Visit To The UK Is An Insult To The Zimbabwean Women And A Mockery To The Human Rights.
The planned visit of the 1st Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, to the UK, for the FLAIR Summit in London on the (17th-18th June), has triggered anger and deep concern among Zimbabweans in diaspora and back home. We are demanding that the UK government should refuse her entry. Whilst she parades around with the banner of women's empowerment. (DOES SHE EVEN KNOW THE MEANING OF IT?)
Women in Zimbabwe are suffering and so are the young girls. The country's health system has crumbled to nothing. Hospitals and clinics have no electricity, no medication and no staff. This has become a national norm.
Across the country girls as young as 10 years old are being raped, abused and forced into early motherhood. In many cases perpetrators walk free due to the broken justice system. The government turns a blind eye. Auxillia as a woman and a mother has failed to protect all the vulnerable children in our country, instead they allow the culture of silence.
As a result, primary school dropout rates have gone high, especially among girls. Many are forced out of education due to pregnancy, poverty or early marriages. These girls lose their future while those in power continue to enrich themselves and travel abroad for luxury.
