Tendai Ruben Mbofana
No one should!
Some years ago, I noticed that a neighbor’s wife would ill-treat her two-year old step-daughter – every time her husband left for work – through frequent brutal beatings up, shouting at her for every little thing, denying her food, and keeping her outside the house for most of the day, whilst she sorrowfully cried for what seemed an eternity.
In fact, this persistent crying was what drew my attention to this wickedness and abuse taking place right next to our house.
I could not simply look aside.
I was not going to close my ears to that painful wailing by this helpless and powerless child, or the wild hateful and hurtful screaming by the step-mother, or the loud piercing sounds of the whip as she cold-heartedly and savagely beat up the poor girl.
There was no way I was to say, “This has absolutely nothing to do with me, because if I raised alarm, this would be interfering in another family’s domestic affairs, and should respect their privacy”.
Never! Not, as long as I was alive!
As such, I firstly confronted both the step-mother and her husband, expressing my utmost displeasure and disgust at this disgraceful wanton disregard of this precious little girl’s rights and dignity – whom they should have been protecting and caring for instead – and, informed them of my intentions in reporting the matter to children’s rights group, Childline, and the police.
Which I did the very next day.
May I ask a question?
In all this, who was the real victim?
Was it the step-mother whom I reported for gross negligence and abuse?
Was it the father who I faulted for appearing not concerned enough about his daughter’s welfare and wellbeing, that he clearly failed to notice anything amiss – either by not establishing a strong enough bond, which would have enabled her to find it easy to confide in him about the abuse, or not being observant to any signs and signals of his daughter’s distress?
Or, was the two-year-old vulnerable and defenceless girl the actually victim, in all this – and, the parents being the perpetrators?
As such, it is always nothing short of flabbergasting whenever I hear the Zimbabwe regime perpetually portraying themselves as the victims – each time their gross and barbaric violation of the citizenry’s human rights, and the flagrant disrespect of the country’s Constitution, are called out by foreign governments.
When (yesterday March 11, 2022) I was listening to president Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa – in his address to members of the diplomatic corps assigned to Harare – the disingenuousness in the repeated claims of the country being a victim of foreign interference was quiet unsettling.
Who are the real victims in Zimbabwe?
Who are the real victims, when a powerful government abuses state institutions in defying the country’s Constitution – which are employed as ruthless weapons against the opposition, and other voices of dissent?
Who is the victim when the ruling party can hold campaign rallies virtually unmolested – engaging in gatherings of thousands, bussing in supporters from the breadth and width of the nation, and freely conducting car rallies – yet, the main opposition has unending senseless obstacles placed along the way, resulting in the violent barring of rallies, and repeated court challenges to stop law enforcement from preventing lawful gatherings?
Who is the victim when ruling party thugs cowardly attack opposition supporters – resulting in the needless loss of life – whilst going about their constitutional activities?
Who is the victim when the vast majority of ordinary Zimbabweans are reduced to paupers and beggars – who are forced to live in squalor and poverty – due to a ruling elite with a sickening propensity for looting national resources for their own enrichment?
Who is the victim when our youth, and even non-youth as myself, either can not find any gainful employment, or their small business ventures and jobs failing to adequately sustain them, and their families – on account of a government whose inaptitude, mismanagement, and plunder of state-owned enterprises has crippled and rundown a once prosperous economy, thereby leading to the closure of most viable and world-renowned companies?
Therefore, is it not an utter disgrace and shameful hearing the incessant pathetic attempts by the Zimbabwe regime to deceptively turn the narrative upside down – as they try to portray themselves as the victims in all this?
The international community can never be expected to keep quiet, look away, and “stay out” of Zimbabwe’s affairs – as those in authority arrogantly trample on ordinary citizens’ rights, whilst riding roughshod over them – since that would be an unacceptable and unpardonable dereliction of duty.
The world is now a global village – and, just as I did with the neighbor who was abusing her step-daughter – can never be expected to do nothing, and sit back, in the face of callous volation and ill-treatment of other countries’ people at the hands of those who are supposed to care and protect them.
The ruling elite need to urgently introspect – by accepting the reality of the situation, in that, they are actually the perpetrators, and not the victims.
They need to cease, forthwith, this textbook example of “narcissist personality disorder” – defined as people who are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it is causing them problems, whose tendency is to turn the blame on to others.
What is more, such people are extremely sensitive and react badly to even the slightest criticisms, disagreements, or perceived slights, which they view as personal attacks.
It can never be denied that the victims here are the helpless and hapless people of Zimbabwe – and, we welcome any and all who hear our endless and sorrowful cries for help!
The world has a responsibility towards those who are being bullied by those wielding tremendous and overbearing power!
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, and social commentator. Please feel free to contact him on WhatsApp/Call: +263715667700 / +263782283975, or Calls Only: +263788897936 / +263733399640, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com
Post published in: Featured