Net zero Britain cosies up to Zimbabwe despite human rights concerns – NewZimbabwe.com

📅 Published: August 26, 2025

📰 Source: newzimbabwe

Curated by AllZimNews.com

One speaker at the protest, Dickson Chikwizo, accused the Mnangagwa regime of “political persecution, authoritarianism, kleptocracy and national collapse”.

The contrasting image of warm handshakes in Harare and anger in London highlights the perils facing the UK Government as it tries to tap Africa’s bountiful mineral resources.

Labour is eyeing up a pipeline of almost $1bn (£740m) in deals with Zimbabwe, focused heavily on renewable energy and the critical minerals needed to power clean-energy technology.

Many of the commodities are critical to Labour’s net zero push, and also to Britain’s desire to end its dependency on Chinese supplies.

These materials are difficult to find in friendly places, so the UK may have to hold its noses and deal with the likes of Mnangagwa.

But are Labour’s net zero ambitions sacrificing Britain’s moral authority?

Prioritising pragmatismAccording to a Foreign Office spokesman, Lord Collins and Mnangagwa discussed “a range of issues including boosting trade and investment, and multilateral cooperation” during the meeting.

Did the Labour peer canvass Mnangagwa about Zimbabwe’s fraying democratic norms and the regime’s crackdown on political opponents?

Not directly. “The minister … raised concerns relating to human rights with the acting foreign minister,” the spokesman said.

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say Zimbabwe is experiencing an increase in arbitrary arrests, detention, intimidation, and harassment of civil society and opposition figures.

They also fret at the impunity of perpetrators from the ruling Zanu-PF party.

But the British Government has had to be more “pragmatic”, says Knox Chitiyo, from the think tank Chatham House. “There are still concerns around human rights, around elections.