"On 18 December 2015,
at the inauguration of the substantive Headman Zvakaramba at Matsvitsi Village
Ward 3 in Zvimba South, the guest of honour, Chief Zvimba Chikambi was asked to
give a vote of thanks. Chief Zvimba began to attack smaller parties like the
People First. He said he was aware of its activities in the area and the ruling
party was not going to fold its arms and watch," reported Zimbabwe Peace
Project (ZPP).
What goes round comes
round; Mai Mujuru, Didymus Mutasa, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Jabulani Sibanda and
the other People First Movement bigwigs are used to hearing or even directing
the violence with them holding the thick end of the whip. Now they and their
supporters are on the business end of the whip and they do not like it one bit.
One does not need to ask Mai Mujuru whether she likes, of course she hates it!
They never raised a finger
to stop the violence when they were in positions of power and authority to make
a difference now all they can do is curse quietly. What goes round comes round.
The ZPP report showed that
whilst the greatest number of perpetrates are Zanu PF operative on opposition
members; there are nonetheless some Zanu PF to Zanu PF, opposition on opposition
and the odd opposition on Zanu PF.
The Police have continued
to turn a blind eye to Zanu PF politically motivated violence and each time
they are involved they have descended on the opposition like a tonne of bricks
from a great height whilst Zanu PF operative get a single finger slap on the
wrist, at worst.
As the nation goes into
election mode the political violence will swing into overdrive; in 2008 millions
of people were harassed, beaten and /or raped. Over 500 were murdered in three
months of the presidential run-off. The next elections have all the hallmarks
that a fiercely fought contest given the ever worsening economic meltdown so
Zanu PF popularity will once again be rock bottom and so the party will be
forced to resort to its most tried, tested and never-failed method of securing
victory – brutal violence.
It is clear that Zimbabwe's
culture of politically motivate violence is now deeply ingrain in our national
ethos and anyone who thinks it will go away, without the nation doing something
to end it, is naïve. To end the scourge of political violence we need to
implement the raft of democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GPA which include
reform of the Police and Judiciary to free these institutions from the clutches
of Zanu PF to carry out their public duties without fear or favour.
ZPP and all the other
civic organizations are doing a great job monitoring politically motivated
violence but they must take a more proactive role and demand the implementation
of the 2008 GPA democratic reforms designed end this perverse culture. The
reforms must be implemented before the next elections; any elections held
before the reforms will be marred by fear and violence and therefore can never
be a true reflection of the free democratic will of the people.
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