Event planners face demands to drop Zimbabwe's first lady from a London summit. Auxillia Mnangagwa was set to speak at the First Ladies African Impact and Resilience gathering from June 16 to 18. Exiled Zimbabweans living in Britain oppose her appearance at the conference. They blame Zanu PF party policies for forcing them to leave their homeland. Mnangagwa serves as a senior member of the Zanu PF political leadership.
Dawn Butler represents Brent East as a Member of Parliament. Her office denied that she agreed to join the speaker lineup alongside the Zimbabwean first lady. Summit organizers had listed Butler as a featured presenter without her knowledge or consent. She never received any invitation to participate at the event. The official website showed her name among the key speakers.
Sources reveal that conference leaders will hold urgent talks on Monday. They must decide whether Mnangagwa should keep her speaking slot or withdraw from the program. Zimbabwean protesters have created serious problems for the event organizers. Yvonne Thompson helped found the Flair Summit but would not comment on the situation. One insider confirmed that the protests have made planning much more difficult.
Dawn Butler represents Brent East as a Member of Parliament. Her office denied that she agreed to join the speaker lineup alongside the Zimbabwean first lady. Summit organizers had listed Butler as a featured presenter without her knowledge or consent. She never received any invitation to participate at the event. The official website showed her name among the key speakers.
Sources reveal that conference leaders will hold urgent talks on Monday. They must decide whether Mnangagwa should keep her speaking slot or withdraw from the program. Zimbabwean protesters have created serious problems for the event organizers. Yvonne Thompson helped found the Flair Summit but would not comment on the situation. One insider confirmed that the protests have made planning much more difficult.
