South Africa (SA)-based civic movement Citizens Watch Zimbabwe (CWZ) has called for urgent intervention to address the mounting grievances of Zimbabweans living abroad, warning that deteriorating economic, political, and human rights conditions continue to drive citizens out of the country.

Speaking on behalf of the diaspora group, CWZ President Patience Chard outlined core concerns including exorbitant passport fees, recent constitutional amendments, and the ongoing erosion of civil rights that disenfranchise Zimbabwean nationals living in exile.

“Zimbabweans are going through a lot of difficulties here and back home,” Chard said. “So we are here to speak about those things and maybe the government can hear us, I mean, when we gather together in our numbers. We have issues with our passports; the prices are ridiculous. We have a challenge with our constitution that recently got amended, and that is our main reason we formed our organisation. Our rights have been violated as citizens. That means we are no longer Zimbabweans if we cannot fight, so what is the reason to be Zimbabwean if we cannot fight?”

The movement warned that unaddressed domestic pressures continue to fuel an ongoing regional migration crisis, leaving diaspora communities feeling alienated from governance processes in their home country.

–ChannelAfrica–