Zimbabwe currently stands at a defining moment where its national institutions will be judged not by their rhetoric, but by what they choose to defend.
As the country grapples with the weight of proposed constitutional amendments, the role of the security forces, particularly the police, must be scrutinised.
The constitution of Zimbabwe is far more than a legal text; it is the supreme expression of the people's sovereignty and the product of decades of national aspiration and struggle.
Any attempt to suppress the voices of those questioning its amendment is a direct affront to the legacy of that struggle.
The ongoing debate surrounding these amendments has already highlighted a disturbing trend of exclusion.
Many citizens, particularly those in rural communities, are already effectively excluded from meaningful participation due to economic hardship and logistical barriers.
When the police engage in human rights violations to further stifle this discourse, they exacerbate an already fractured process.
It is vital to remember that the defence of the constitution is the responsibility of every citizen and every institution that claims a stake in Zimbabwe’s future.
This includes the police, whose primary mandate should be the protection of the people’s right to participate in their democracy, not the suppression of it.
If the police continue to increase human rights violations in association with these amendments, they are actively participating in the weakening of the supreme law without the full participation of the people.
History has demonstrated that when democratic values are under pressure, the actions of state institutions determine whether truth prevails or is buried.
The police must uphold the constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and democratic participation.
They should not be used as tools to ensure silence but should instead ensure that the "voice of the people" is protected as the country decides its future.
Ultimately, Zimbabwe belongs to its citizens, and its constitution must be defended by them.
We implore the police to recognise that they, too, are citizens who share the same national future as those they are tasked to protect.
History will remember who chose to stand with the citizens and who chose to undermine the sovereignty of the people through force.
Zanu PF is not doing President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the biggest beneficiary of the proposed constitutional changes, by trying to force them down the throats of long suffering Zimbabweans.
Mnangagwa himself must think hard about the legacy he wants to leave behind and put those that are abusing fellow Zimbabweans in his name under the leash.