HARARE - Zimbabwe is drifting into chaos and the nascent economic recovery ushered in by the GNU is threatened as a result of "an orchestrated campaign of violence" by President Robert Mugabe, who blames the main opposition groups for waging the campaign of violence. Zanu (PF) and the police allege that the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is at forefront of unleashing violence. But evidence on the ground points clearly to the fact that Zanu (PF) is nakedly flouting of the rule of law by unleashing its thugs to cause mayhem.
On Sunday night, Zanu (PF) thugs threw a petrol bomb at the house of Anderson Ngwabi, the MDC Mberengwa West District Chairperson. Ngwabi managed to escape unhurt when the bomb failed to explode. The criminals poured petrol inside his house in a bid to set it ablaze.
“However, on realising that Ngwabi was alert to this move they ran away leaving three petrol bombs, three plastic bags and assorted chemicals near the window,” the MDC said in a statement “A police report was made at Mberengwa Police Station and the suspects, who are known Zanu (PF) members, were arrested but released on the same day.”
Analysts say no nation can allow a bunch of thugs to terrorise its citizens in this way and to do so with impunity, fortified in the knowledge that those breaking the law are protected by the security forces which they control. The time has come for Mugabe to seriously weigh the fallout of his impeachable actions of condoning and openly encouraging lawlessness, said political commentator Ronald Shumba.
“He must quickly pull himself back from this grandstanding where he openly encourages his thugs to stamp out political opposition, which has pushed Zimbabwe beyond the limit. The choice is his and his alone because, it is clear, no one within his party has either the wish or courage to tell him that he has already crossed the Rubicon.”
He added it was high time Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri took swift measures in defence of the rule of law – or leave office just as quickly. “Zimbabweans cannot and must not tolerate a police force that they fund and that openly sides with one political party or another – and refuses to guarantee citizens minimum conditions of law and order that are expected of any civilised nation,” Shumba said.
A report recently released by the police says the majority of reported political violence cases involved internal MDC-T violence. The chronicle runs from January to April this year, and claims the MDC has been involved in more than 20 incidences of violence. “Most of the violence was committed in the build up to the party’s national congress held in Bulawayo last week,” claims the report.
But the MDC insists Zanu (PF) is trying to whitewash its appalling record by citing isolated incidence of violence. Shumba said Chihuri must choose whether his allegiance was to the nation state of Zimbabwe or to Mugabe and Zanu (PF).
“He can’t have it both ways,” he said, adding Zimbabweans cannot simply sit back and watch the country being subjected to generalised violence purely because Mugabe has chosen to intimidate voters into supporting his party which, by any standards, has run out of ideas to govern and has clearly become a destabilising factor in southern Africa.
Mugabe’s renewed threats of violence and death against his foes are partly fuelling the dangerously rising political temperature pervading the nation. Instead of all political contenders being allowed to sell their programmes and policies to the electorate in peace, the voters are being threatened with dire consequences should Zanu (PF) lose the coming elections. The prevailing lawlessness has already cost Zimbabwe vital aid, stagnating the economy.
Several MDC and Zanu (PF) deputies allege Mugabe and Zanu (PF) are pushing the country toward anarchy, possibly to provide an excuse to declare emergency rule and stall a general election due to be held next year. Zanu (PF) now says it wants elections in 2013. “It is better for the international community to prevent any further recession into anarchy and violence than to have to send peacekeepers to Zimbabwe,” said Shumba. The United States has already condemned the suppression of recent peaceful demonstrations in Zimbabwe.
Britain has also been highly critical of Mugabe’s actions in its former colony. The MDC is calling for coordinated pressure by the United States and the European Union to force Mugabe and Zanu (PF) to hold the planned elections next year and to send a team of international monitors to ensure the poll is free and fair. Last week, Mugabe’s chief negotiator at the talks made a dramatic volte face and called off calls for a fresh ballot this year the veteran leader had earlier insisted on saying elections can only be held in 2013.
Several opposition members, citing Mugabe’s behaviour in the escalating dispute with Britain, said there were also questions about his sanity. Recently Mugabe threatened to go to war with Britain if that country tried to interfere in his state-sanctioned empowerment laws, which are cover for expropriation of British firms.
Post published in: News