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NewsDay

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Letters: Mliswa was right, the buck stops with ED

Letters
Mnangagwa has made some plausible statements in the past, one example, being his statements while addressing Zimbabweans living in the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations General Conference in 2018, that the country would allow citizens in the diaspora to vote.

DEAR Temba Mliswa,

Thank you for your straight talk on various political matters.

I enjoyed your interview with Blessed Mhlanga on HStv in which you pointed out that as the first citizen responsible for Cabinet decisions, President Emmerson Mnangagwa should periodically reshuffle his team to ensure that it is working for the people.

Mnangagwa has made some plausible statements in the past, one example, being his statements while addressing Zimbabweans living in the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations General Conference in 2018, that the country would allow citizens in the diaspora to vote.

While the world is impatiently waiting to get updates on Mnangagwa’s diaspora vote promise, we read that some Zanu PF officials are haunting Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda for suggesting amendments to the electoral laws to ensure that Zimbabweans in the diaspora can vote.

Most surprisingly, we have been told that Mudenda was barred from attending a Zanu PF politburo meeting over his utterances on diaspora vote.

From my understanding, the Zanu PF leader is part of the politburo, so it is surprising how he failed to protect Mudenda, who shares similar views with him regarding the diaspora vote.

Is this another example of Mnangagwa indicating right and turning left?

Or was he merely grandstanding to please the international community when he made this statement? Zimbabweans in the diaspora’s right to vote need to be granted.

Mliswa, as a parliamentarian, is there anything you can do, working with other progressive-minded Zimbabweans across the political divide to ensure that not only the President’s promise is fulfilled, but also to enable citizens in the diaspora to exercise the right to vote?

We look up to like-minded legislators to pile pressure on the government to amend laws to allow for diaspora vote.

Can positive-minded parliamentarians across the political divide team up and come up with a private member Bill?

Thank your Honourable Mliswa, Zimbabwe needs progressive people lie you.

Keep pushing! –Kennedy Kaitano

Zanu PF should admit failure

ZANU PF always comes up with a scapegoat for its failures.

Success is not in its members’ vocabulary unless if success is redefined.

The so-called party youths have been trained to be purveyors of lies.

I had an encounter with a youth who recently joined us in South Africa and his interpretation of Zimbabwe’s problems was about being landlocked.

I was stunned to hear this from such a young fellow.

I happen to be friends with his brother and helped in sorting out his papers to travel, but didn’t know that he was so brainwashed.

Failure is contagious until one gets rid of its source.

Not receiving enough rainfall doesn’t constitute hunger for the country, that is why we need commercial farmers with irrigation facilities.

One can be a member of Zanu PF with an open mind.

Zimbabwe did receive an average amount of rainfall this season, which could sustain the country for a while. Zanu PF must admit failure. –Muzokomba villager

There is need to professionalise ZRP

AN opinion written by Paidamoyo Muzulu titled Pro-lege, Pro-patria, Pro-populo: This is not our ZRP refers.

I could not agree more with the writer. There is need to reform the  Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

The ZRP, long known for its corrupt tendencies and heavy-handedness in quelling civil dissent, hit a new low in how it handled the abduction and death of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) activist Moreblessing Ali.

The police issued a poorly-cooked statement, saying the abduction was not political and they were investigating the case.

Zanu PF youths indiscriminately assaulted opposition supporters in Manyame for demanding justice.  Several people including MPs Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole were picked up on trumped-up charges.

Police never bothered to arrest some Zanu PF functionaries who fanned violence to the extent of banning CCC activists from coming to the funeral in their party regalia.

The unprecedented move by the police force comes amid a series of alleged violent and degrading acts by its officers as they enforced lockdown measures.

However, the irony of it is that the seemingly high appetite for violence and disproportionate use of force exhibited by the ZRP comes even though Zimbabweans are generally non-violent and peace-loving people who, in most cases, often have legitimate complaints or issues that need to be addressed.

The resultant criticism and disgust for the police’s conduct by the generality of Zimbabweans is, therefore, in this regard, reasonable and justified, I believe it is high time we transition from a police force to a police service which has a mandate of protecting citizens and not harming them.

Peace and security are a public good and society as a whole will benefit from an increase in security. It is thus the mandate of the police (or one of its mandates rather) to guarantee peace and order in society, and whatever procedures they employ are presumably aimed at achieving this end.

Be that as it may, violence generally begets violence and resentment breeds animosity.

To that end, the ZRP’s selective application of the law, force and brutality as a way of quelling dissent breeds fertile ground for resentment and is, therefore, not an effective strategy for achieving peace and order in the long term.

On the contrary, such conduct by the ZRP actually represents a decisive impediment to peace, stability, the rule of law and human rights in its broad sense.

The police should inspire confidence to all peace-loving and law-abiding Zimbabweans by conducting themselves in a professional, non-violent and non-partisan manner and by exhibiting a high level of moral character in their dealing with the public. –Chief Chiduku 

IN response to Salary talks deadlock … as doctors, nurses, endorse strike, JOHN MAKWANA says: This is the reason why it is advisable to have someone with a medical background to serve as Health and Child Care minister. It is because they know the bolts and nuts of the health  delivery system. This command approach to labour issues will lead Zimbabwe to nowhere.

IN response to Implement policies that attract investment: Swiss envoy, MUKUDZEI SAKUCHERA says: Africa cannot afford to continue on this self-destructive path. Yes, the continent needs foreign direct investment, but it has been doing more harm than good. The continent does not need investors who provide jobs and pay peanuts, who ship profits overseas and interfere in local politics. Local investment is sustainable. Local investors are the solution to most of the problems bedevilling the continent.

IN response to Parly summons Ziyambi over sexual consent Bill, CHERITH J BROOKE says: What is good about the Bill when a Grade Five pupil is being taught about reproductive organs and how to use protection? We are introducing adult stuff to kids. Some of us started knowing or learning about this subject in secondary school. What are we going to do if these children start experimenting? Sometimes people just push the government to enact laws that will come to haunt us as a country in the long run.

IN response to Ali killer further detained for indications, HANDIREA RUNOKUNDA says: Zimbabweans, we must not accept to be used by politicians no matter how much we are promised. Let us bring back sanity to barbaric politics in our country.

ZEMBA LEE says: I just wonder why some Zimbabweans are so gullible to the extent of doing the bidding for politicians. No politician is worth dying for.

IN response to New hope for ZEP holders, GIFT MENZI CELE says: No hope. The court will throw away the case with costs. As Zimbabweans, we need to fix our country and stop being nauseating mosquitoes to South Africa.