are
Army and police belong to the people
EDITOR – Police, soldiers, airmen and the people of Zimbabwe – now is the time for citizen anger and action. Every day, we wake up to one calamity after another in our beloved country Zimbabwe. There is a shortage of money, fuel, clean water, medicines, food, and democracy.
This is the time to get angry and channel that anger into inventive ideas and actions that will break the chains of evil that bind our country. The question in most people’s minds is how the Army and Police are going to react. To answer this question one has to look at the legal relationship between the Army and the people.
The Army as a national institution belongs to all citizens of Zimbabwe. A truly professional army should never shoot at the people that it is required to protect. Therefore, when the president as Commander-in-Chief issues orders that are contrary to the citizens’ interests, he in fact is disobeying the people. And when the president disobeys the people his orders and commands to the military are unlawful and professional soldiers should not obey such orders.
When an Army obeys the president contrary to what the people want, it ceases to be a people’s army but a private army protecting the interests of a super class at the expense of the majority of the people. No army can exist for long without the support of the civilian population. Every Zimbabwean who pays taxes is the true paymaster of every soldier and civil servant.
When you see a well-dressed soldier or airman, you should see your money in his cap/helmet, shirt, belt, trousers, shoes/boots, webbing belt. You should visualize your money in the rifle he carries, the tank he drives, the ammunition he carries and the food he eats. Air Force jets and other weapons belong to the people. Without the people’s money there is no National Army, Air Force or Police Force. Zimbabwean citizens buy all the weapons and equipment for the Defence Forces so they can be defended from external aggressors.
We pay the Police Force to be protected from thieves and murderers. We pay politicians to be governed properly. What does this mean for Zimbabwe civil society? It means when soldiers obey unlawful orders to assault peaceful people, patriotic citizens need to take a stand. If you give your child a spear to protect the family and he turns against the family, you take the spear away from him.
When soldiers assault the people they are required to protect, it is time to take a stand and find a way to take away all the arms and equipment that belong to us. Demanding accountability from your soldiers is your right not a privilege. Some politicians and senior soldiers seem to think there is something special about handling a gun.
Any fool can fire a gun but it takes a true citizen to defend the people with that gun. People should not be intimidated by guns, tanks or even airplanes. If you can drive a car, you are a candidate to drive a tank. As for airplanes, chose chinobhururuka chinomhara chete. And without fuel, how long can they drive or fly these weapons?
Taking a stand now against brute force and injustice is not only fixing the present issues, but it sends a message to any future president that we will confront the Security Forces if he or she illegally uses them against the people. A righteous anger must rise up from within us to challenge those who brutalize their own people. Channel this anger effectively and change will happen. Look at yourself and believe you can do something to stop the oppressors. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and see yourself shaping the destiny of the nation for good.
This is the time for imaginative leadership. With a little imagination the security forces can be stretched to the limit until they rebel or their leaders negotiate. The issues in Zimbabwe have gone beyond MDC or Zanu (PF). Every patriotic Zimbabwean must take a stand and defy this regime tooth and nail. Evil does not reform, it has to be destroyed. If you believe there is evil in our land go out and help destroy it. May God bless us as we courageously oppose tyranny and fight for our very survival.
BRAVE TAYPAYER, Harare
I love Morgan
EDITOR – Morgan Tsvangirai has played a vital role(and is still playing it) in fighting
black colonialism in Africa by shaking Zanu (PF)’s darkest and dirtiest corridors of misrule.
Even if you die today, it does not matter because you are already a living hero. Move
on Tsvangirai, deal with the masses not the rebel sellouts. With or without the rebels MDC lives on. Listen to the wishes of the millions MDC supporters and not the globetrotting, powerhungry and directionless rebels. There is no future for Zanu (PF) and that is why Mugabe is hanging on
to despotic power at all costs. Fear no man born of a woman Morgan. I love you for your consistent slogan of people first and selfish rebels last. MDC NDIZVO.
NYIKAVANHU, Chinhoyi
Zanu (PF)’s cold feet
EDITOR – The audit of Zanu (PF) cell and village organs has been extended by two weeks after the ruling party national commissariat’s Elliot Manyika cited poor turn out. Supporters have developed cold feet over the structure audit due to massive discontent over Operation Murambatsvina that saw many losing jobs and becoming destitute.
They are surprised to see central committee members visiting them again to galvanise their support. This in itself is a good reason enough to cause sleepless nights to Manyika as the 100% MDC led by His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe Mr Morgan Tea boy Tsvangirai is penetrating the perceived Zanu (PF) rural strong holds bit by bit (zvishoma ne zvishoma).
MR THUNDER, Glen Norah
Forced to subside govt.
EDITOR – We care for and educate our late Maid’s son Taurayi – she died in 2002 after the final jambanja of our farm and families. She had spent two days and nights in an ant bear hole hiding from the thugs who had evicted our employees at gunpoint. She was rescued by our stockman and carried to our neighbours farm. Taurayi is now 9.
He is a border at a government school. At the beginning of term we paid Z$21 million in SDA fees for boarding. Note: it is a government school and therefore supposed to be subsidised by this bunch of mbava.
It is not even half term and we have a letter, with a budget and have been asked to pay/supply the following:
– a further Z$58 million just for the rest of the term
– Z$1million towards the Matrons salary
– 2 kgs rice, 2 kgs sugar, 750 mls oil, 1 kg sugar beans, 5 bath soap, 4 shoe polish, 4 loo rolls, 1 kg green soap, 1 kg Cerevita cereal.
Over and above that we parents/guardians had to supply all their textbooks (he is in Grade Five).
But this GOZ can spend Z$660 billion on new vehicles for the MP’s! I am incensed – we cannot pay this at the moment, and am sure neither can the other parents. There are war vets kids at this school who get free schooling, so are we as parents being made to subsidise the corrupt government and the war vets?
VERY ANGRY AMBUYA, Macheke
Useless commissions
EDITOR – I am skeptical about the proposed establishment of the Zimbabwe Commission On
Human Rights ostensibly to ensure human rights are upheld in our country. If history serves me well, there have been a number of similar commissions/boards of inquiry instituted at some point but whose findings and recommendations have either been glossed over or downplayed to protect certain individuals. This casts a lot of doubt on the real intentions of establishing the commission in question. For example:
SANDURA COMMISSION-This had the mandate to make findings and recommendations
into what became known as The Willowgate Scandal after The Chronicle had chronicled events suggesting there was widespread corruption in the acquisition of vehicles by top government officials from Willovale Motor Industries. Except for those who bowed before the storm on their own and resigned from public offices, the rest of the culprits went scot-free.
KUDENGA COMMISSION-Allegations of malpractices in financial dealings between
Zimbank, The Merchant bank and a company called LORAC led to the establishment of this commission. As it became apparent that a senior official was implicated, the findings were watered down. Another fruitless effort!
NZIRAMASANGA COMMISSION-Having looked and made recommendations into the
educational system, the chairperson of the commission was quoted in the media
lamenting the non implementation of same four years down the line.
INQUIRY INTO THE WAR VICTIMS COMPENSATION FUND-The fund having been
looted, it was necessary to have full investigations. But except for a few
low ranking officials who got the dirty end of the stick and were bruised
here and there, the chefs, some with “100%” disabilities remained untouched.
ANTI-CORRUPTION AND ANTI MONOPOLIES MINISTRY- It’s an open secret that
corruption is rife in Zimbabwe, but what did this branch of government achieve to curtail growth of this evil virus? Those brought before the courts for various allegations of corruption are those who were exposed by various newspapers critical of Zanu (PF) misrule. Critics would be forgiven for arguing that the government was never genuinely interested in uprooting
corruption but only in creating an illusion that it was doing so yet all it was trying to do was to appease the restive populace ahead of the 2005 elections.
UTETE/BUKA COMMISSIONS-Revealed serious violations of the one-man-one farm
policy by top government officials which had disenfranchised the needy. Have we seen any disciplinary measures against those found guilty? Do we now not have some still with multiple farms? Anyway let me find solace in my rocky two acre piece of land I got as inheritance. Ndinorimawo mapfunde.
It is against this background that I do not agree with the setting up of another window dressing commission. We do not need such a commission to curb state sanctioned brutality on innocent WOZA protesters calling for an enabling environment to ensure every child has access to education .Neither do we need it interpret to the government the human rights provisions
enshrined in our constitution. Commission after commission could be established at the expense of the taxpayer, but it will be the same old story that Heads they (chefs) win, tails we (povo) lose.
CLEMENCE NGAIRONGWE, UK
Challenge to Zim youth
EDITOR – Please allow me to remind my fellow youth in both Zimbabwe and Diaspora about the Vice President Joseph Msika`s statement that he made some months ago that the youth of Zimbabwe must stop being crying babies. Now, did you as youth sit down and try to chew it in order to get its gist? If no, I did it and come up with an answer that he was indirectly blaming us for not taking action whenever we feel uncomfortable about any action taken by the government.
So, my few questions to the Zimbabwean youth are as follows:
1.Did you feel comfortable as youth when the Mugabe Regime rigged the elections in 2000, 2002 and 2005?
2.Did you feel comfortable as youth when your only family house was bulldozed down during Murambatsvina?
3.Do you feel comfortable as a professional youth by selling tomatoes at Mbare Musika, Sakubva Musika, Egodhini and/or work as a gardener while Mugabe is pilling his army lieutenants with more than three jobs? And an example of this is General Chiwenga who is in command of army and at the same time in charge of ZIMRA and RBZ.
3.Do you feel comfortable as youth when your brothers and sisters are being killed by crocodiles in Limpopo when running away from an autocratic Mugabe Regime?
I strongly believe that this is high time that we as Zimbabwean youth should stand up and liberate ourselves.
SIMON MASUKU, MDC-SA Youth Secretary, Johannesburg
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