Editorial comment
THE world was stunned on Tuesday when a senior Zanu PF official uttered unpalatable words to a host on a programme to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.
Not surprising that Zanu PF officials are angry that the international community is annoyed with Harare’s treatment of its citizens, but what was exhibited by the ruling party’s information director Tafadzwa Mugwadi on Aljazeera during a programme to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe was pure arrogance.
These kinds of appalling irritabilities by Zanu PF officials have become the order of the day as they desperately try to defend the disgrace the government finds itself in.
What with calling the Catholic bishops evil for calling the government to order and stop human rights abuses by Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, the barefaced denials by authorities that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe despite calls by the international community, confirming a crisis and urging urgent action.
Zanu PF officials have been angry at accusations against them by the United Nations, the African Union Commission and other human rights organisations and the church that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has decided to challenge to join politics, in frustration to their statement that called his government to order.
They have described those against their human rights violations, corruption and crackdown of activists as terrorists, evil plotters and regime change proponents but telling a television presenter foul-tasting words in the glare of an international audience like what Mugwadi did laid bare the true character Zimbabweans are dealing with.
Mugwadi uttered a phrase that simply expresses anger, defiance or contempt but can never be repeated in any normal platform much to the irritation of fellow panelists.
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But that is the problem Zimbabweans are dealing with and the sooner the international community realises the kind of arrogance people are dealing with every day the better.
It is the party that, through its acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa, urged its supporters to use violence on July 31 to protect themselves and it is the same party that now uses all sorts of unpleasant words to silence critics.
It would appear everyone but Sadc now fully understands that Zimbabwe is a political hotspot.
Sadc has maintained the “hear no evil, see no evil” theory in dealing with Zimbabwe, quite sadly.
Pleas from civic society organisations under the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition banner and the churches should not go unnoticed.
Time is up for Sadc to act as if they are oblivious of what is happening in Zimbabwe in defiance of voices of reason from South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC) and the entirety of opposition movements in the neighbouring country who continue to push for a resolution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
Ignoring the Zimbabwean problem now is negligence on the part of Sadc as it will further worsen the situation in the troubled nation.
There is a political crisis just like there is an economic crisis and it cannot be solved by playing blind to the problems.
When the whole world is seeing a troubled citizenry in Zimbabwe, why and how is Sadc seeing nothing?
Is Sadc afraid to call its leaders to order and where will that leave an ordinary Zimbabwean, suffering from the never-ending crisis?
Zimbabweans are the biggest losers and it is time for Sadc to come to the party and stop ignoring honesty by the African Union Commission, the United Nations, The Elders and many others.
Time is up, Sadc. The people of Zimbabwe desperately await the voice of reason from you before they are burnt to ashes by this ravaging crisis.
