So Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is reported to have admitted the existence of Zanu PF militia groups unleashing terror against political opponents, but absolved the ruling party of the crime, describing the militias as “bandits” abusing the party name. But look back into the attempted murder of the now late Patrick Kombayi by the now late former MP Kizito Chivamba and Elias Kanengoni, and the murder in cold blood of Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika by Joseph Mwale and other operatives.In the case of the attempted murder on Patrick Kombayi, Chivamba and Kanengoni were convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to seven years in prison, but were immediately pardoned by Mugabe. Kanengoni died in 2013 and was declared a national hero, much to the chagrin of the Kombayi family, while Chivamba was rewarded to “a good job well done” by Mugabe to become a member of Parliament.
In the case of Mwale, Mugabe made sure that Mwale did not get tried of the act. Then High Court Judge James Devitte ordered that Mwale be brought to trial for the murders, but efforts by former Manicaland prosecutor Levison Chijkafu to bring Mwale to justice where frustrated by Mugabe, as Mwale was seen at meetings Mugabe attended and addressed.
Mugabe’s utterances are but a ploy to hoodwink the world into believing that he is sincere about election violence, yet it has now become publicly known that he unleashes his operatives on the opposition and instructs Chihuri to ensure that police officers turn a blind eye when reports of violence by Zanu PF militia are made. Instead, the victims are the ones who end up being arrested as Mugabe tries to weaken the opposition.
It will be interesting to see how Mugabe handles the recent case in which a police officer was run over by other police officers who were chasing innocent vendors around town, when Psychology Mazivisa wants to credit Zanu PF for creating two million jobs for vendors.
Mugabe and Zanu PF should not be allowed to take us for a ride this time round. Mugabe must walk his talk on Zanu PF militia violence and get the militia bases destroyed and the militia arrested.
Zec must view with a pinch of salt denials by Mugabe and Zanu PF that they are sponsoring violence.
President Mugabe has always used violence to augment his vote rigging schemes. Why the 2013 elections were relatively free of violence is because the regime upgraded its vote rigging expertise thanks to the significant increase in funds from the looted diamond windfall. Many people believe President Mugabe spend at least $4 billion to bankroll his vote rigging schemes in 2013 and at the rate he is spending money already will spend $10 billion for the 2018 elections. He has the cash to buy his way to another landslide victory.
The chaos in the opposition camp has only made his victory a walk in the park. Tsvangirai and his opposition friends have lost all political credibility, everyone can see they are not contesting the elections because they have any chance of dislodging Zanu PF. They are contesting for the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away. The opposition are nothing more than well paid hired hands – Zanu PF needs the opposition to participate to give the electoral process some credibility and the regime rewards those who participates with the few gravy train seats.
Zanu PF has the 2018 elections in the bag the party’s biggest worry now is making sure the process is not condemned as a sham election.
The use of wanton violence in the 2008 elections was one reason the whole world refused to accept President Mugabe’s victory and forcing him to agree to go into the humiliating and hated GNU. He does not want to see that happen ever again and hence the reason he is taking the extra precaution of deploying a crack force of Zanu PF thug with power to beat up unruly Zanu PF thugs “without having to wait for the Police”.
With not even one democratic reform in place, Zanu PF will blatantly rig the 2018 elections to secure another landslide victory. The regime does not need to augment its vote rigging with elections violence and so the 2018 elections will be even more peaceful than 2013!
‘President Mugabe’ ??????!!!!
‘DICTATOR or PIMP mugabe’ is more accurate. He is no president in the true sense of the word.