Mugabe’s Nagging Fear Of A Popular Uprising…

Requesting Mugabe to back off on violence against the people, MDC and associated activists is rather like making a polite request to Adolf Hitler to stop persecuting the Jews. And we all know how that panned out

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Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has urged the power-sharing government to stop malicious prosecutions of its legislators and civil society activists.

The MDC made the call after a week of “persistent abuse of the law” against scores of its legislators and perceived opponents of ZANU PF, capped by the arrest of former MDC legislator and socialist Munyaradzi Gwisai on Saturday.

The police rounded up 46 people, including Gwisai, during a lecture organised by the Zimbabwe branch of the International Socialist Organization where footage of the revolution in Egypt was shown during a discussion titled: “What lessons can be learnt by the working class in Zimbabwe and Africa?”

Police allege Gwisai and dozens others were planning to stage Egypt-style mass uprisings in Zimbabwe.”

I would assume the proving of the allegations in court would be very difficult – assuming that the norms of criminal court protocol are observed, but even the pro-Mugabe unilaterally appointed Attorney-General saw fit to try and pull the wool over the eyes of the court in the case against Roy Bennett – and he was never charged with any wrongdoing, or punished for his attempted falsehoods.

Whilst I do understand the need for the MDC to at least put their request for fair play into writing and hand it over to ZANU PF, if only for record purposes, the idea that ZANU PF will actually accede to the demands of that party will never happen.

ZANU PF only knows violence, intimidation, oppression, death and destruction.

The MDC have the mission to effect government change and the rule of Zimbabwe to be a democracy to be achieved by peaceful means.

Mugabe calls Zimbabwe a ‘sovereign’ country and he also makes the claim that Zimbabwe is a democracy. Not so. A democracy is, “even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of ‘democracy’, equality and freedom have been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power. For example, in a representative democracy, every vote has equal weight, no restrictions can apply to anyone wanting to become a representative, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution“.

There is nothing even approaching democracy when it comes to a ZANU PF rule. Mugabe will only look after himself and his party, help himself to the national purse, steal the national resources, and bludgeon his way into remaining in the top spot.

In any society, that is a dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Nyanga North MP, Douglas Mwonzora, is currently in remand prison after the State invalidated a bail ruling on Monday by invoking the draconian Section 121 subsection (3) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.

Mwonzora and 24 MDC activists were granted $50 bail each by a Nyanga magistrate on Monday but were remanded in custody after the State invoked the law that gives permission to keep a person in jail for seven days even if bail has been granted.

The MDC said it was concerned by the upsurge in the arrests and harassment of its officials, activists and supporters on what it called “trumped–up charges” of political violence. ZANU PF has used its control of the security forces and the judiciary to harass, abduct and torture those it considers opponents while Mugabe’s supporters have continued to attack MDC supporters in total disregard of the rule of law.

The MDC reported the detention of Roger Tazviona of Zhombe and scores of MDC supporters in Kwekwe on political violence charges. Tazviona was again granted bail by a Kwekwe magistrate but the State invoked Section 121. The MDC said it was dismayed by the continued abuse of the criminal justice system following the summoning of six Masvingo MPs to court on allegations of disrupting a meeting that was being addressed by self-styled war veteran, Jabulani Sibanda last weekend.

MPs Tongai Matutu (Masvingo Urban), Heya Shoko (Bikita West), Edmore Marima (Bikita East), Jani Varandani (Bikita South), Enerst Mudavanhu (Zaka North) and Zaka Senator Misheck Marava have been ordered to appear in court on March 28 for trial. They are facing charges of ordering villagers at Makotore Business Centre in Bikita to disperse from Sibanda’s meeting which the MDC said was “forced”.

“We find it strange that only members of the MDC are being arrested when it is very clear that it is Zanu (PF), with the partisan police force, are perpetrating political violence,” said the MDC.

The party continues to restrain its members from retaliating. “The party knows that ZANU PF is on its way out of the Zimbabwean political scene,” the party statement said.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man

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