Mugabe’s oppressiveness makes Ian Smith look like a saint

As a more fitting tribute to the memory of those who have passed at the hands of the Mugabe tyranny, I, therefore, decided to peel off the facade and propaganda that masks the truth of the Zimbabwean tragedy, and in so doing take a more critical look at the Zanu PF's much - vaunted commitment to non violence, peace and the general question of human rights in Zimbabwe.

The garbage being spewed by Mugabe’s propagandists clearly indicates a true reflection of Mugabe’s position on violence and that it has changed. He has made a U-turn, and is going back to what he knows best – that if you want to win by forcing the electorate into submission, bash them hard. Those who thought that the old dog had mastered the new tricks, when he went on a crusade to preach peace and non-violence, they were wrong.  The truth remains that it is very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.

Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory in the just ended Kenya elections will not improve the situation either, but it is likely to cement Mugabe’s belief that violence pays. Uhuru faces charges of crimes against humanity for role he played leading to a wave of tribal killings that followed the disputed 2007 presidential election.

Worst of all, one of Mugabe’s propagandists and a staunch Zanu PF supporter who goes by the pseudonym Mai Jukwa wrote a chilling article which was posted on one of Herald’s online sister newspapers New Zimbabwe, justifying the occurrence of violence in which she wrote: “I can understand why war veterans attacked MDC supporters. It is not that they are evil vampires, as some would suggest. If they sincerely feel that the MDC is wrong and is furthering imperialist interests, do you think they will not do what we do to people who are wrong?” This statement incites violence and it clearly suggests that in Zanu PF they believe supporting MDC-T is wrong, and as such those who support MDC-T deserve to be beaten, burnt to death or raped.

This Mai Jukwa is also a known Gukukurahundi cheerleader and the one who penned another evil article titled “Gukurahundi was not genocide”.

Furthermore, Mahuku and Mambanje who are Herald columnists and Zanu PF propagandists also had the temerity to post another very disturbing article in which they lament that if you want the yolk of an egg you first break it. They went on to comment “to get into power you use violence”. The article “Will the real moral man in MDC-T please stand-up?” was sanctioned by Zanu PF’s information department and it was published in its mouthpiece the Herald.

Speaking in a ZTV interview marking his 89th birthday, Mugabe himself said that the idea of an even playing field was a myth. “They say the ground was uneven, asi ndekupi kwawakamboona even ground?” he said. Well, many us of will remember how the playing ground was tilted to Zanu PF’s advantage in 2008 when its militia had state sanctioned field days from which it unleashed untold reign of terror on defenceless Zimbabweans.

Now they are after Jestina Mukoko again - they can’t just leave her alone. They abducted her in 2008, brutalise her and almost killed her for a genuine fact finding mission in which she was documenting the savagery of Zanu PF’s killing and maiming thugs.  Her abduction and torture happened in the eyes of the justice system and the police. In fact, the justice system in Zimbabwe and the ZRP were part of this mayhem working in cohort with the notorious CIOs.

This is why even today we have a police force that arrest 29 MDC-T supporters without any evidence that they killed a rouge police officer. Instead of following a leading cue that the officer was killed by Zanu PF as narrated by his brother and father, the police and the justice system under Chinamasa’s directive turned a blind eye on the tip.

Our justice system is undoubtedly a showcase of ineptitude and executive manipulations. The law does not proceed on inquiry, nor does it hear before it condemns. That is why they have kept the 29 wrongly accused MDC-T activists and some of them in prison for almost 2 years without justice, thanks to the influence of resident Zanu PF bootlickers like Chinamasa and Tomana.

Are we even surprised at the recent arrests of MDC-T youths in Kadoma and Chitungwiza? No, this is how desperately Zanu PF can operate when it is cornered. When it is desperate, it goes to the extent of creating mock arrests and trials, like what they are doing in Temba Mliswa’s case in an attempt to hoodwink the public into believing that they are on a real mission to arrest violence perpetrators regardless of their social standing. This is a complete lie and a cunning trick to waylay the MDC-T and its supporters.

If one looks at the facts on the ground, you will find that, to date, the Gukurahundi and 2008 killers are yet to be brought to justice. They roam free in Zimbabwe with license to kill, and waiting for the next order to slaughter. But what else can we expect in a society where criminals have turned judges and police chiefs, and the docket is reserved for the honest?

Be that as it may, one can understand Zanu PF’s panicking and desperate situation, especially after they were all hoodwinked into endorsing an almost 90 years old candidate to represent them in the coming election. My God, are there any real men in Zanu PF to let this happening? Surely they might need to enquire from our fellow colleagues who did Geriatrics Medicine to understand what it is being a 90 year old. Anyway it is their democratic choice to choose a 90 year old candidate, whether it was an informed decision or not, it is none of my business.

The bottom line is Mugabe needs to act like a 90 year old man and someone who happens to be a president of Zimbabwe by accident, following the 2008 elections disaster. He needs to stop preaching peace in public by day and then preach violence behind closed doors by night. If history is anything to go by, Mugabe's lecture on peace and security certainly and accurately foretell the doom to come and Zimbabweans must now act or brace themselves for a more biting calamity.

When they are preaching violence by threatening, MDC-T must preach peace. Chihuri is threatening police officers by dismissal or imprisonment if they dare to vote for any other party which is not Zanu PF. Chiwenga is also doing the same to the army. On the other hand Chief Charumbira is threatening chiefs not to side with the MDC-T or else they will have their monthly allowances withdrawn.

As I was busy writing this piece Zanupf’s Republic Police (ZRP) was causing mayhem arresting prominent lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, and other MC-T officials for trumped up charges in an act propagated by pure desperation and paranoia from Mugabe and his henchmen. In Mbare, the Chipangano thugs under the leadership of Jimmy Kunaka were also causing havoc in an attempt to murder Sten Zvorwadza for supporting the MDC.

One of my fellow colleague and an intellect Mr Mupoperi described the events as barbarism, silly and ruthless. Mupoperi who is a frequent commenter on Herald Live forum once told me, this is what happens in the University of life, where one is forced to take a test and then learn the lesson later. The tragedy, however, is that in the midst of this unfolding saga, the people are the victims while the regime thrives on lies, endless subterfuge and intimidation.

Seeing all this buffoonery and looking back at yesterday makes Ian Smith looks like a saint.