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NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Mnangagwa afraid of Chamisa

Letters
How ironic is it that President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for peaceful elections when he was addressing his supporters in Karoi while turning a blind eye to the police which blocked Nelson Chamisa’s campaign rally in Marondera on Saturday?

IT is now crystal clear that Citizens Coalition for Change has become a household name and a very big brand posing a serious threat to the ruling party in this short period since its birth.

What happened at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Saturday where riot police blocked the CCC rally speaks volumes.

How ironic is it that President Emmerson Mnangagwa called for peaceful elections when he was addressing his supporters in Karoi while turning a blind eye to the police which blocked Nelson Chamisa’s campaign rally in Marondera on Saturday?

He indicates left while turning right.

Previously, he has on several occasions denied the opposition permission to hold their rallies citing COVID-19 and it seems his insatiable appetite to suffocate the breathing space for the opposition to campaign peacefully still exists.

He sent the  police to bar Chamisa’s rally.

What he is preaching is not synonymous with having peaceful elections.

He lied to the nation after the November 2017 coup that he was a listening President.

It should ring bells in people’s minds on why such kind of treatment is being given to the opposition.

Mnangagwa’s government is  shooting itself at the foot. Whoever is advising him is losing the plot and actually doing the Lord’s work for the opposition.

They are marketing Chamisa’s CCC brand thinking that they are destroying it.

His yellow movement is growing stronger and stronger.

What CCC needs to do is to holding on longer, putting the best foot forward and refuse to be bullied by Zanu PF’s old tactics.

The longer this frustration goes, the greater the chances of the opposition to win the elections.

Zanu PF is falling and will continue failing. This is signalling the end of the muddy season. Currently the odds are favouring Citizens Coalition for Change.

Mnangagwa must allow the opposition to mind its business without being hindered.

His continued selective application of the law has no room in a democratic society.

This was the second one after another rally was banned in Gokwe Nembudziya.

Despite all these bans Nelson Chamisa continues to attract large crowds without hiring buses and frog-marching or throwing bread to the people.

Zanu PF didn’t want to be outdone by the attendance at Rudhaka Stadium.

CCC is winning the hearts of many.

Mnangagwa’s government should allow freedom of expression and gathering for peace to prevail. –Koni Leonard

Let’s fight GBV together

GENDER-BASED violence (GBV) disproportionately affects girls and women, and that is the reason hundreds of organisations, including the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (Zela), focus on ending violence against women.

The United Nations Population Fund reports that one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.

Forms of gender-based violence (GBV) include child marriage, female genital mutilation, honour killings, trafficking for sex or slavery, intimate partner violence, physical punishment, sexual, emotional or psychological violence.

In Zimbabwe, forms of GBV that are common include child marriage, female genital mutilation, intimate partner violence, physical punishment, sexual, emotional or psychological violence.

In this article, we will try to explain some of the common forms of GBV experienced by women and men in the country.

Child marriage is one of the forms of GBV which is common, particularly within the apostolic sects.

One in three girls was likely to be married before turning 18 years, according to the United Nations.

Early pregnancy can pose a serious health risks to young girls.

For instance, Memory Machaya died while giving birth at a shrine of the Johanne Marange church in Marange, Mutare on July 15, 2021.

Her death caused an outcry, with the United Nations condemning the prevalence of child marriages in Zimbabwe especially within white-garment churches.

Memory was forced to drop out of school in Mhondoro while in Form 1 after she was married off to Evans Momberume, who was believed to be in his mid-to-late-twenties.

A new marriage Bill that is before parliament for debate seeks to synchronise laws, ban marriage of anyone below 18 years and prosecute anyone involved in the marriage of a minor.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), intimate partner violence or domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse and controlling behaviours by an intimate partner.

It occurs in all settings and among all socioeconomic, religious and cultural groups.

The overwhelming global burden of this form of GBV is borne by women.

Examples of types of behaviour include acts of physical violence, such as slapping, hitting, kicking; sexual violence, including forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual coercion; emotional (psychological) abuse, such as insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation. –Zela

Worry over China colonisation

CENTRE for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) is concerned about a new form of colonialism that is growing louder and increasing in visibility with each passing day. It is called extractivism.

Unlike British colonialism which was imposed on us without our consent, the new form of colonialism is engineered by the government in the name of “investment”. Throughout the country, citizens are living on the edge as hundreds of special grants are issued to so-called investors, predominantly from China, to explore for minerals and ultimately displace our people from their ancestral homes.

This is in a stark contrast to what the fallen and living heroes and heroines sacrificed for. The future of citizens is uncertain. Even the dead are not spared as evidenced by drilling in cemeteries.

The deals are closely guarded secrets.

Instead of advancing economic development and equality for Zimbabweans, our liberators have morphed into a bourgeoisie class.

True to Paulo Freire’s submission that “for the oppressed, to be is to be like the oppressor”, our liberators removed the combat fatigues and morphed into a suit-clad oppressor regime.

They maintained the laws like the Mines and Minerals Act and the Communal Lands Act which continue to render Zimbabweans landless in their own country.

As we commemorate this year’s Heroes Day, these laws threaten the customary rights of the already marginalised Nambya and Shangani communities of Dinde in Hwange, Chilonga in Chiredzi, and Chipinge, just to mention a few, as destructive development projects are forced on their land without free, prior and informed consent.

Parts of the Marange community have been declared protected areas — a euphemism for taking away locals, civic liberties to secure diamond fields that continue to be plundered since government took over in November 2008.

More than 1 300 families were forcibly evicted from Marange without compensation and dumped at Arda Transau which is more than 80km away. Diamonds worth hundreds of millions of dollars continue to be looted from Marange annually.

CNRG is not opposed to investment. However, we believe Zimbabweans must not be treated as squatters in their country for which thousands of our gallant forebearers died liberating.

We believe a genuine investor obtains a social licence from locals and the extractive engagements should improve the quality of life of host communities. –CNRG spokesperson

IN response to ED warns ‘meddling’ diplomats, NAMATHMSANQA NCUBE says: President Emmerson Mnangagwa needs to be reminded that diplomats represent their countries in Zimbabwe and have an obligation to report, without fear, the situation on the ground. Mnangagwa should not gag diplomats from highlighting rampant corruption and unprecedented levels of human rights abuses.

FREEMAN DHOKOTERA says: There is an African idom which says the higher the monkey climbs a tree the more it exposes its back. President Emmerson Mnangagwa should know that the more he rants at diplomats, the more skeletons will tumble from this closet. Why should he guide diplomat, who are knowledgeable about their role? He should do the right thing, that is to govern the country with a humane face. The world now knows that Mnangagwa runs the country with an iron fist.

CLIFFORD MUFIRI says: President Emmerson Mnangagwa is proving to be a dumb leader. He thinks what he has done to non-governmental organisation can be done to diplomats? It’s high time he wakes up and smells the coffee. What Mnangagwa is doing is like indicating right and turning left because he is begging the West for re-engagement while threatening its diplomats. That is double standards.

IN response to MPs propose 60-year sentences for rapists, ADMIRE SITHOLE says: This is a good move by our parliamentarians. It shows that they are representing the will of the people. Rapists are a menace in our society because they traumatise victims. A longer sentence will deter would-be rapists. This will also address the issue of child marriages where they are forced into matrimony without their consent. Thumbs up to all MPs who are in support of the 60-year jail sentence for rape.

LAWRENCE MHAHLELI says: The trauma of being raped can haunt one for the rest of their life so there is need for punishment that equates to such a horrific experience. I’m grateful that our MPs have seen the light and are advocating for stiffer penalties for those who commit rape.

REJOICE NDEBELE says: It is satanic for one to rape a disabled person. Disabled people should be protected by law. People living with disability need to be accorded their rights and have a choice to consent to sex.

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