Last weekend’s tragedy in Mudzi which saw a “simple” villager killed was an act of cowardice. The culprits — who are all suspected Zanu PF activists — are now in police custody.
Zanu PF national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo has also joined many in condemning the murder of the MDC-T activist Cephas Magura by suspected Zanu PF supporters and urged the police to ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.
In the strongest indication yet that the former ruling party would not shield the suspects, Khaya Moyo said he was happy that they had been arrested. Young children will unnecessarily grow up as orphans — a tragedy indeed. And yet the real culprits will most likely escape punishment. We call on the-powers-that-be to thoroughly investigate those politicians, be they MPs or senior party members, involved in this heinous act.
The country is still wondering why Zanu PF supporters have upped political violence only a few weeks after President Robert Mugabe spoke strongly against the vice. Where is the sincerity when his supporters are culpable?
Not only so, there are disturbing reports that police on the scene of Magura’s murder refused to uphold the law or to protect the public by failing to stop Zanu PF supporters from violently attacking lawfully assembled MDC-T supporters.
The MDC-T rally had prior police approval, but was disrupted by Zanu PF supporters. In the conflict, Magura was killed and several other MDC-T supporters were severely beaten in one of the worst eruptions of political violence this year.
While police have arrested villagers implicated in the murder of the MDC T activist, senior Zanu PF officials who have been fingered in the violence are walking free. This is often the case in such incidents, the architects and funders of violent political crimes have often escaped punishment while militias and activists are arrested.
It is unfortunate that we still have in this country MPs who believe that their political tenure can only be safeguarded through political violence. Our Parliament today is a haven for architects of violence.
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These men and women do not deserve to sit in the august House as lawmakers. They are criminals who should be punished together with the youngsters they use to execute violent political projects.
It is in this regard that the role of the MP for Mudzi in the murder of Magura must be thoroughly investigated. Is it true that he was present when the violence erupted? Is it true that one of his vehicles was used to ferry the perpetrators of violence? We also want to know what he did as a leader to dissuade his supporters from beating up MDC-T supporters. The police can help us get the facts here.
It’s time that we had a roll of shame where names of MPs who sponsor violence are appended. In a proper democracy, these gangsters must never be allowed to contest in a national election. But in this country, we still have political leaders who do not believe in freedom of assembly and political tolerance. They regard violence as a virtue. The fundamental freedom to assemble, organise and canvass for support has been violated with impunity and the Mudzi incident is a stark reminder of how easy it is to descend into the dark past of 2008. It is embarrassing that in this day and age, there are leaders who invest in violence. Zimbabweans must vote against violence.
