Zimrights ask parties to 'nip violence in the bud' - Zanu PF thugs are shaking in their boots

"The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) is concerned by the levels of interparty and intraparty violence witnessed recently in the country," said Zimrights report.

"Supporters of the ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) were embroiled in a bloody clash at Davies Hall in Bulawayo recently. A few days before, ruling Zanu-PF and opposition MDC-T supporters had clashed leaving three people hospitalised in another incident of violence in Epworth in Harare.

"ZimRights urges political parties to nip such violent tendencies in the bud as the country faces an election campaign season ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections."

This is simply not good enough!

Vote buying and politically motivated violence are now an integral part of Zimbabwe's political culture. In 2008, when the country had its worst cases of blatant vote rigging and wanton violence, SADC stepped in and tasked the GNU comprising Zanu PF and the two MDC factions to implement a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF vote rigging machine and deliver free and fair elections. Sadly, not even one reform was implemented in five years. Not one! Worse still, Zimrights and none of all the other civic organisations has ever said anything to condemn Zanu PF and MDC politicians for their blatant betrayal of the nation, even now with the benefit of hind sight!

"Zero-tolerance to violence is crucial because as political competition within and between parties rises towards the forthcoming general elections in 2018 the likelihood is that tensions among political players will also rise," concluded Zimrights report.

How many more beating, rapes and political murders is it going to take organisations like Zimrights before they all finally open their eyes to the political reality and finally admit that the only way to end Zimbabwe's its culture of political violence is by implementing the democratic reforms. Everything thing else is just a waste of time!  

Contesting flawed elections is an act of madness; Zanu PF are doing it because they are guaranteed no-regime-change. The opposition are participating in the elections because they know Zanu PF will give away a few gravy train seats as David Coltart has admitted.

"The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn't now do the obvious – withdraw from the elections," explained Senator Coltart.

"The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility."

Why have organisations like Zimrights not done the obvious and honourable thing and calling for the boycott of the flawed elections until reforms are implemented? After 37 years of the mindless violence one would think someone would now be keen to end the culture of violence and not just to chain out more and more reports of violence peppered with pious calls "nip such violent tendencies in the bud". I can just see the everyone in Shake-Shake House, Zanu PF HQ, shaking in their boots and calling off their party thugs!

Zimbabwe is facing a serious economic meltdown that seen unemployment soaring to 90% and has forced millions into a life of abject poverty and heart breaking suffering and deaths. The economic situation is socially and morally unsustainable.

We need meaningful economic recovery as a matter of life and death and for that to happen we must have free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabwe's economic recovery is dependent on political change this is why all stakeholders including civic organisation must join in demanding the implementation of democratic reforms BEFORE the next elections. Zimbabwe cannot afford another meaningless election that will do nothing to end the economic crisis.