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Violence - A cancer crippling Zimbabwe
George Hukuimwe
March 23, 2012

Violence entails use of force and cohesion to compel people into submission and is the machinery wheeled upon defenceless and innocent civilians. It is an ongoing cancer in our country Zimbabwe and is mostly attributed to ZANU PF thugs and its hooligans and few isolated cases are associated with the MDC formations.

The world disciplines from mathematics, physics to chemistry and others, use tested and approved formulas. Formulas help achieve results for any problem. When there is Newton-s Law, Archimedes Law, there is also a formula or stencil for democracy and a formula to separate dictators and tyrants from true statesmen.

Democracy measurements are freedom of expression, rule of law not rule by the law, free and fair election, free media, freedom of movement, true separation of powers, open governance system, freedom of association and other civil rights. These when practised, people will be free to express themselves and a room for engagement will be opened between the electorate, the executive and other organs. Laws of the land will be observed and no one will be above the law. Everyone will be equal before the law. It will be a country you enjoy to stay in. A country you feel proud of. A country you will work hard to defend from intruders and enemies and a country which you will be happy to share with generations to come.

On the other hand, dictatorship, autocracy and tyranny states are there for all to see. Mouth you will have, but you are not allowed to speak. Ears you will have but you are not allowed to hear anything even from beyond borders; you will only hear useless propaganda jingles and 200% local content in a global village. You are not allowed to choose a leader of your own choice in an election, you are beaten, maimed, raped, gruesomely murdered, jailed, brutalised by the black boots, watched 24/7 by the dark glasses, pointed at by the AK47 with live rounds, abducted, made illiterate in a voting booth, oppressed and made homeless. This is where you will have partisan police and soldiers. These men and women will chant slogans with bazookas strapped on their backs and clutching fists with a grenade inside. This formula was favoured by Gaddaffi and others long dead including others prettily sitting in state houses, executing executive duties because they are supported not by the people but by the guns, tear smoke, water cannons, button sticks and hard-liners.

Violence is a cancer that is crimpling our beloved Zimbabwe. Violence reminds us of Chipangano group in Harare, a group of hooligans, zed takers who unashamedly went to urinate in Parliament, beating parliamentarians, smashing media cameras, slapping journalists and causing mayhem and pandemonium at the Human Rights Commission Bill public meeting. It-s a terror group that caused havoc and skirmishes at the opening of parliament recently. It-s the same militant group that is terrorising companies, vendors and innocent township people. A group that recently poured acid on an innocent Mbare activist, blowing up his eyes and deforming his face. All these happened in the full glare, sight, view and ear of the police as they will be standing in akimbo. They are still investigating up to now. They are still investigating even the disappearance of Rashiwe Guzha in the 80s and the deaths of other democracy champions. Ours is an always investigating partisan police with no results. They know who to arrest and who to turn a blind eye on.

Violence is on-going in the countryside. Our hearts bleed as we see homes burnt, people scattered, children left without food, communities turning against each other, as polarisation continue and many coerced into joining a party not of their choice but to get humanitarian aid and protection.

The route against violence in Zimbabwe is to arrest the perpetrators and have a non-partisan justice system that will give deterrent sentences to all convicts. Let the rule of law prevail. Let everyone be equal before the laws of our land. Let-s give justice a chance and we will see the rewards. Let what happened in Gweru, where ZANU PF hooligans who killed an MDC activist, were convicted a total of 71 years in jail, be a starting point. We welcome such developments. Let no one give them amnesty or pardon in the name of mercy. What mercy to murders, rapists and trouble makers?

As Zimbabweans, we have come far. We have seen it all. Violence makes the country unstable; violence breed hatred; violence open wounds and violence makes the country blind. Investment drought will be experienced because investors are after peaceful environments.

We deplore the work of Jomic. It-s a monitoring body born from the GPA, mandated to act on all complains raised but they are a toothless bulldog. Someone is holding the nation at ransom. Someone is preaching no violence in parliament whilst his supports are busy feasting on opponents outside. Someone is preaching democracy during the day and turns to be a vampire, a maggot by day end.

We are not blind, we see. We are not dump, we can speak. We are not crippled, we note everything down. Its only one day and that will be a great day. That day will surely come. A day when those who killed, raped, maimed, made us homeless, feasted on us, made us orphans and widows in the name of staying in power, will stand before the grand stand of justice. We will talk. We will speak it all, we will say the truth of what happened to us and those who were crashed like flies in Gukurahundi genocide. That will be the judgement day. A day many dictators in the likes of Charles Taylor, Laurent Gbagbo and others have met before.

Let-s give peace and justice a chance.

The struggle continues!

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