AUXILLIA MNANGAGWA WAS A NO-SHOW, BUT ZIMBABWEANS STILL SENT A LOUD MESSAGE IN LONDON

On 17 June 2025, we gathered at The Leonardo Royal Hotel in London to protest against the attendance of Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, at the FLAIR Summit. Many of us travelled from different parts of the UK to make our voices heard. We came carrying the pain, anger, and hope of millions of Zimbabweans back home.

We stood for hours outside the summit venue holding flags, placards, and banners calling out the injustices happening in Zimbabwe. We chanted for health reform, for human rights, for democracy. We stood there because we know that when we stay silent, the powerful continue to act with impunity.

But to everyone’s surprise, Auxillia Mnangagwa did not come.

Yes, she was listed as a speaker. Yes, her name was on the programme. But she chose not to face the Zimbabwean diaspora. She could not stand the truth. She knew that there were people ready to hold her accountable. So she stayed away.

Yet, even in her absence, the regime still tried to make its presence felt.

On the following day, 18 June, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the UK, Christian Katsande, showed up at the event. His attendance was clearly a last-minute cover-up—an attempt to save face after the backlash against Auxillia’s planned appearance. It was a weak move. He came, smiled, shook hands and tried to pretend that all was normal. But it was not. His presence only confirmed what we already knew: the Zimbabwean regime will do anything to clean up its image abroad while ignoring the crisis at home.

I was there on the 17th. I saw the energy, the passion, and the pain in the faces of my fellow Zimbabweans. We were not just protesting for ourselves—we were standing for every woman who died giving birth in a rural clinic without electricity. We were standing for every nurse working long hours with no pay. We were standing for every political prisoner wasting away in a dirty jail cell for daring to speak the truth.

Auxillia Mnangagwa may not have come, but she heard us. The regime heard us. The world heard us.

Her absence was not silence—it was fear. Fear of the truth. Fear of the people. Fear of being reminded that behind every staged photo, every government ceremony, and every fake headline lies the real Zimbabwe: broken, hurting, and betrayed.

Some may say our protest was in vain because she didn’t show up. I disagree. The demonstration was a success because we made it clear that Zimbabweans in the diaspora are wide awake. We will not let the regime hide behind fancy titles and international events. We will continue to speak. We will continue to fight.

Christian Katsande may have shown up on the 18th, but he did not face us. He did not address the issues we raised. He did not speak on behalf of the millions suffering back home. He was just a shadow of the dictatorship—present but powerless.

To those who joined the demo, thank you. To those who could not come but supported from afar, your voices matter. Let this not be the end. Let it be the beginning of a stronger, louder movement.

We must keep showing up. We must keep speaking out. And we must never forget why we do this: because Zimbabwe deserves better.