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Serious need to curb the ongoing violence
Youth Forum
September 21, 2011

The Youth Forum joins the peace-loving United Nation family, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, peoples and individuals resident of this world in celebrating the International Day of Peace as recognized by the United Nations. September 21, 2011 is the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Peace with this year's celebrations being held under the theme: "Make Your Voice Heard". This theme pays tribute to the many civil society activists who have lent the strength of their imagination to building peace.

The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1981 that each September a Day of Peace shall be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. The U. N. in 2002 unanimously passed a resolution permanently designating September 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace.

This day is however coming on the backdrop of very disturbing events that have rocked the country, especially Harare over the past month or more. The current unsolicited violence rocking Harare shows how much the top politicians in power will never work towards empowering the disenfranchised young generation as they want to take advantage of their economic demise to use and abuse youths. When violence is allowed to go unabated at the August House, the house where our Members of Parliament meet to come up with legislation for the country, with youths from different political parties clashing, is clear testimony that there is a hidden hand from the big men and women in politics.

The fact that violence can rock this former-esteemed house twice with no arrest being made leaves a lot of questions than answers. First, it was at the deliberations on the Human Rights Commission, showing levels of lack of respect of Human Rights that Zanu PF has achieved. The same political party then bused more thugs during the recent Opening of the August house and there were serious bloody clashes at the Parliament Building.

The violence that rocked Highfield's Machipisa Shopping Centre in early September can only be initiated and sanctioned by senior and older politicians. The thugs were again identified as ZANU PF and were attacking vendors and buyers indiscriminately, saying they had the permission to do so from high offices. On September 19 (2 days before Peace Day), the same thugs belonging to a Zanu PF group, Chipangano, took their violence to the Charge Office Bus terminus, the door step of the capital city's Central Police Charge Office, where they attacked innocent Commuter Omnibus operators in a bid to seize control of the terminus. Only 3 thugs from the very large group of more than 20 were arrested.

In Chitungwiza we find youths attacking the Chitungwiza Town Council for exercising its duties. It is quite disturbing to note that in all these events, the youths are identified, even by the ever-partisan state media as youths from the former ruling party ZANU (PF).

The fact that the so-called senior politicians have called for peace publicly does not necessarily mean they are not the ones who are paying the same youths to use violence against their rivals. WikiLeaks has helped us realize how many of these top government and especially ZANU (PF) officials utter statements in public before exhibiting their true colors when in private. It has now become a public secret that many senior ZANU PF officials have been meeting US and British Embassy officials in a bid to find ways of making the President of the republic to leave power but when they talk in public they say the Presidents is indispensable to the political party and the country at large. And it seems that many of our politicians find comfort and security in the Americans, though they denounce the same people by day.

It is in the same vein that we have these imprudent senior politicians condemning violence publicly but privately using us the marginalized and disempowered youths to engage in violent activities. It is inconceivable to conclude that such acts of violence as depicted during one of the most important events in the country, the opening of the Parliament, can be instigated and conducted by the youths without the involvement and even funding from these senior guys who have the money. That there are still politicians who believe that violence will save them from losing elections confirms that the current crop of leaders is not what is ideal for the country, when the elections come, these people will be up for a rude awakening. The youths have promised to go and vote in their numbers and do away with these politicians who use them for violence.

Of particular interest is the role of the police in all the Harare skirmishes; no arrests are being made. What this means is that the police are informed of these skirmishes well before they happen and are also instructed not to arrest anyone. This behavior will only leave the residents of the country with little, if any, confidence in the country's police force leading to even further clashes as evidenced by the death of Inspector Petros Mutedza in Glen View in late May. When citizens are attacked by thugs, regardless of political affiliation, residents should have confidence that the police will act against such criminals. Failure to instill such simple confidence in the country's citizenry will mean the populace becomes skeptical of the law enforcement agents and will believe the police are also enemies working together with the hooligans. The situation is even exacerbated by the fact that our police are more notorious for being corrupt and demanding bribes from the same vendors and other citizens. It has become an ugly reality that being ZANU PF is a ticket to impunity if you commit crimes collectively in the name of the party.

What is happening is very dangerous as these politicians and police are only turning the country into a perilous battlefield as at the end the citizens will no longer tolerate being abused by thugs and having no protection from the police and will start retaliating. This is exactly what happened in Machipisa and at the Charge Office Terminus where the vendors and drivers fought back the thugs after realizing that police were only looking at them being chased away from their sources of livelihood.

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