Cops frustrate national healing efforts: Mahiya

The director of Heal Zimbabwe Trust, Rashid Mahiya, told The Zimbabwean recently that the police had developed a hostile attitude towards civil society organisations working in local communities – denying them clearance to hold public meetings. “There are a lot of bureaucratic processes involved when you want to talk to the people about issues of peace, tolerance and national healing. As part of the application process, you have to go to the District Administrator, the Provincial Administrator, the Governor and the police to get clearance. There are also requirements to do with POSA so it’s quite a difficult and cumbersome process,” said Mahiya.

The move pointed to insincerity on the part of Zanu (PF) for true national healing to take place before elections, he said. “They (Zanu PF) do not really mean it when they say they want peaceful elections. They were the major perpetrators of political violence in 2008 and they were in control of the state apparatus that instigated violence in the communities. It’s not in their best interests to have a peaceful election in Zimbabwe,” said Mahiya.

“The stakes are higher than in 2008. We have created a culture of impunity because some of the perpetrators of past human rights violations are still walking free. We are fearful of the possibility of violence taking place because the infrastructure of violence has not been dismantled,” said Mahiya.

He amplified calls for an implementation of reforms agreed in the Global Political Agreement before elections can be held. “In my view, we will never be really prepared for elections if the GPA is not fulfilled. The Organ on National Healing as well as JOMIC could have done far better if there was enough political will to dismantle the infrastructure of violence,” said Mahiya.

HZT is offering financial assistance to families who lost their bread winners during the June 2008 elections. “We are working with survivors of the 2008 violence who lost their loved ones and we are trying to look after their basic economic needs,” he said.