HZT "riled by increasing cases of election violence". - what will it take to admit we need reforms, body bags P Guramatunhu

“Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) has been riled by the increase in cases of politically motivated violence in some parts of the country,” reported Bulawayo 24.

“The trust said cases of violence are being recorded in both urban and rural areas and are both intra and inter party involving mainly MDC T and Zanu PF supporters.

“It said on 26 December 2017, two Zanu PF youth led by Zanu PF ward chairperson for ward 10, Marondera, Obadiah Chisango heavily assaulted four MDC-T youth at Mahusekwa Business centre in Marondera West ward 10.”

This was just one of many similar cases in the HZT report. For all his talk and twittering about the elections going to be free, fair and credible and free of violence; President Mnangagwa and his Junta regime are not going to risk losing power by holding free and fair elections. As long as Zanu PF is confident its more subtle vote rigging activities such as getting Chiefs (who have just received their new truck bribes) to frog march rural people to vote for the party are working then there will be no violence. However, if the more subtle vote rigging measures are not working then the party will turn up the violence. This is a well-trodden Zanu PF path, everyone knows that.

The real tragedy here is that we have civic organizations like Heal Zimbabwe whose leaders are making a living out of reporting Zimbabwe’s culture of political violence. These organizations have ignored the solution to end the violence – implementing the democratic reforms – in favour of pacifist solutions which, when all is said and done, seek to appease the regime by making no demands for it to implement any reforms

"Heal Zimbabwe also calls upon political parties in Zimbabwe to respect and enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates, as it paves the way for a smooth electoral process that is devoid of violence," said the organisation.

"Police must also be swift in apprehending people implicated in violent activities. In pursuit of his clarion call on the need for peaceful elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa must do everything possible to ensure that the call on the need for peace and tolerance ahead of the 2018 elections is strictly adhered to and followed religiously."

What President Mnangagwa must do is implement the democratic reforms. “Mr President, do not waste the nation or SADC leaders’ time talking or twittering about peaceful elections; implement bloody the reforms! Not next month! Not after the elections! NOW!” Why is HZT finding it so bloody difficult to say this simple truth!

It is not in the interest of Heal Zimbabwe employees to end Zimbabwe’s culture of violence, they will be out of work, and so they are doing their best to discourage the nation from doing the right thing to end the violence. Such is Zimbabwe’s curse; to have a corrupt and illegitimate regime that thinks it can regain legitimacy by talking about peaceful elections alone whilst its thugs continue to cause mayhem. The regime is cheered all the way by busy bodies who pretend to complain about the violence buy actually profit from it as the greater the violence the larger their donor funded grant!  

“Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) has been riled by the increase in cases of politically motivated violence!” Of course, they would say that; they have to justify why they are asking for more donor funding!

Soon HZT will start giving a count of people killed in these acts of political violence and madness which the nation could have easily avoided by insisting on implementing the reforms BEFORE elections are held. It is then, maybe, that the busy bodies at HZT will have their collective conscience finally pricked and forcing them to admit in their naivety and greed they have been sanitizing Zanu PF’s culture of violence and not ending it.