By Change Radio Zimbabwe
On June 16 this year, Zimbabwe’s state security forces arrested a group of 78 youths including opposition leader Jameson Timba for purportedly hosting an unauthorized political meeting at his residence in Harare. On the evening of the same day, Michael Moyo (not real name), who lives in Chitungwiza near town centre building complex, was shocked to witness state security agents from the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) and police displaying brute force. Apparently, a group of youths, among them, Last and Zviko had attended the private meeting to celebrate the International Day of the African Child commemorations but fled after a group of other citizens had been arrested by police. The citizens were forced to crawl on their knees to the awaiting police truck.
Moyo recalls a convoy of kombis approaching later that evening, which normally ply the road to an area of Chitungwiza known as Chamboko. Only this time the vehicles were being driven by CIO agents and police. The state security agents then pounced on Last, Zviko and other youths before assaulting them and bundling them into the vehicles. An elderly woman, known as Mai Chinozvino later trended on social media weeping and stating that she had been assaulted by police at court in Harare, after asking to see her grandson Zviko and his friend Last. The group of citizens, now known as the Avondale 78, was recently remanded in custody to July 10 after Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo turned down their bail application.
As the winter season bites, Moyo just as many other youths, remains terrified of participating in any political activities, contrary to ZANU PF. He puts it that the Avondale 78 are likely to be held in detention for quite some time as government seeks to instil fear in every dissenting voice. These are some of the untold harrowing stories that befall youths who dare to take part in Zimbabwe’s alternative politics.
Persecution by Prosecution
“Blessed are they who follow the path of government laws for their days on earth shall be increased. But woe unto those who will choose the path of collaboration with dissidents for we will certainly shorten their stay on earth,” Mnangagwa was quoted saying on April 4, 1983 as then State security minister. As the late Robert Mugabe’s enforcer, Mnangagwa has always been a scheming and brutal authoritarian. Information minister Jenfan Muswere recently published a statement threatening ‘perpetrators of serial choregraphed theatrics…involved in subversive activities,’ that their days are numbered.
If there is one thing the regime will never acknowledge it is the fear of people taking to the streets. The November 2017 people’s street march which deposed Mugabe is an event which strikes fear into the ZANU PF elite, beneficiary surrogates, as well the old rank and file in the military. The propaganda department headed by George Charamba and his delusional minions will go all out to show a face of bravado in state and on social media daring people to go onto the streets. Others even choose to intimidate citizens by posting painful reminders about the August 2018 post-election protests which resulted in innocent civilians being gunned down by soldiers.
“Certain unruly elements in collaboration with our detractors have activated their perennial tendencies of seeking to disturb our security, peace and prevailing tranquillity… the law will take its course without fear or favor…Hatidi mhesvamukono. Todzisvasvanga! (Trouble causers will not be tolerated, we will severely harm you),” Mnangagwa shamelessly said at a ZANU PF meeting.
Whenever citizens decide to exercise their rights, the ZANU PF regime feels the need to respond by issuing threats of lawfare and violence. The government led by ZANU PF has demonstrated a penchant for cracking down on citizens each time they decide to voice their concerns about governance in the country.
Citizens are feeling disgruntled by the cesspit of daylight corruption which defines Mnangagwa’s rule. The multimillion-dollar corruption cases are embarrassingly tracing back to Mnangagwa’s doorstep. Despite efforts by his information czars Nick Mangwana and George Charamba to paint him as a good leader, citizens are aware of his grand theft schemes ranging from his Precabe farm in Kwekwe, Munhumutapa offices through to State House. His greatest fear, at this stage, is the armed forces joining citizens in ousting him from office much like they did to Mugabe. Hiding behind US presence and influence in Zambia as an excuse for perceived regime change remains his desperate gambit to justify his continued stay in power.
Security forces under Duress
It is an acknowledged fact that the majority of Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora are perplexed as to why the police and military always choose to brutally crackdown on protestors fighting for the same security force’s rights. By law, the security forces are prohibited from participating in labour or politically related protests yet the ZANU PF leadership successfully manipulated them in November 2017 to depose the late Robert Mugabe and replace him with Emmerson Mnangagwa. The regime has always regurgitated the narrative of an umbilical link between the security forces and ZANU PF since the Rhodesian war of the 1970s, yet this story rings hollow in the face of financial struggles ordinary police officers and soldiers face to survive in Zimbabwe.
It is now an open secret that the police and army prefer to recruit uneducated and desperate youths from the rural areas who are easily brainwashed, indoctrinated to believe that life begins and ends with serving a ZANU PF government. They are trained and taught that failure to perform duties such as killing fellow citizens upon order is a dismissible offense. The prospect of losing their poorly paying jobs, where they can extract money from citizens to get by petrifies these officers. Mnangagwa is very well aware of this manipulative scenario and is digging in to ensure that the entire security sector remains brainwashed, under the guise of serving Zimbabwe as patriots.
When Knowledge Conquers Fear
As the hugely unpopular Mnangagwa moves to consolidate power at all costs, his regime clearly condones criminalization of political activism. The arrest of the Avondale 78 comes amid Mnangagwa’s threats aimed at people organising protests in the lead up to the SADC summit slated for August.
Yet it is no secret either that the ZANU PF regime is quivering following the anti-finance bill protests in Kenya earlier this week, which shook President Ruto’s regime, including a nasty public spat between the country’s Vice President Rigathi Gachagua and National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji. Echoes of protests in Malawi are also making ZANU PF paranoid. Zimbabwe’s propaganda ministry is at pains to explain that Zimbabwe is immune to similar uprisings, and regularly issues threats of state sponsored violence on social media. It is the duty of every patriotic Zimbabwean to reject the disinformation campaigns being unleashed by Mnangagwa’s sycophants. It is the duty of pro-democracy individuals and movements to debunk all threats coming from a paranoid regime. The masses of Zimbabwe must know that the power lies in their hands and that Mnangagwa’s regime can be deposed legally through popular dissent.
It is not that Zimbabwe is incapable of being democratic, rather ZANU PF does not want democracy. Authoritarianism serves best to mask the grand scale looting of Zimbabwe’s resources by Mnangagwa and his lot in ZANU PF, which has been going on for decades. By drawing lessons from Kenya, citizens of Zimbabwe must show the ZANU PF regime that the power is with the people.
