A late 1990s chaotic scenario characterized the capital city of Harare on Monday as rowdy Zanu (PF) youths and supporters descended upon the popular Gulf Complex to take over shops owned by Nigerians, allegedly because the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan had failed to take sides with President Mugabe at the recent AU summit in Ethiopia.While Nigerians scampered for cover behind their counters and store rooms, their employees had to jump through windows as the popular and violent Zanu (PF) grouping from Mbare affectionately known as Chipangano assaulted everybody in the shops while others were busy looting from the same shops.
The youths were shouting the popular Zanu (PF) slogans saying: 100% empowerment, total independence which is Mugabes trade mark slogan of the 2008 bloody elections.
Our President warned you over these shops and we are now taking action, this is our country, shouted some youths.
President Mugabes hit man who is also the Minister of Youth Development and Indigenization Saviour Kasukuwere has over the past year reiterated that the foreigners were running retail business at their own peril adding that under the indigenization law, retail business is a preserve for the locals.
Independent political analyst, Mr. Rodney Mafa, said Zanu (PF) was shooting themselves in the foot by its radical policies which will see the revolutionary party becoming unpopular among its African counterparts and that the situation would soon spill into the Egypt style protests which may force them out of power.
It is not in dispute that Mugabe and his Zanu (PF) are running the risk of becoming very unpopular amongst their counterparts elsewhere on this continent by this move. The pan-African spirit encourages brotherhood and not these brother to brother attacks Zanu has started on fellow Africans.
By mobilizing people into the streets, the party should also realize that it will not need to blame Tsvangirai to anyone if an uprising was to begin, because it is building the cloud the will make the storm, said Mafa.
Meanwhile about eight members of the group were nabbed as a result of the disturbances while the police are still hunting down for more despite threats from unspecified sources to leave to abandon the investigations.
Zanu (PF) led by their first secretary Robert Mugabe have blamed the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for being perpetrators of violence despite being the known candidates for violence. The country has witnessed a number of violent skirmishes perpetrated by Zanu (PF) since the announcement by President Mugabe that the country is going
for polls this year.
Post published in: News