Fake abductions: New tool for regime change

Politics and the desire for power can be so consuming. The regime change agenda, which dates to two decades ago, has been so vitriolic, stymied the developmental agenda, lately making Zimbabwe a household name on social media platforms through the #Zimbabweanlivesmatter.

The talk about Zimbabwe's challenges has negatively impacted the engagement and re-engagement policy of the Second Republic. Every country has a challenge. The vacuous and amorphous abduction allegations have been used as objective political referent to blow Zimbabwe's problems out of context.

Peak of the discussions have been the alleged abductions of the MDC-Alliance trio of Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova. An investigative footage has disproved the popular thesis of a State that preys on its citizens.

The pejorative and highly inflammatory tag "abduction" has been used by so-called human rights activists, Western embassies and the opposition politicians to demonise the Government. This has been a convenient pretext which has served as the pith for what is actually a coherent, consistent and choreographed push for a regime change.

This falsity (choreographic abductions) has insisted headwind, notwithstanding the ever increasing narratives that have disproved the practical utility of employing such an atavistic agenda to push a political objective, at the expense of national developmental greater good.

The paradigmatic of opposition mirror-image reasoning which was provided in various narratives aimed at creating two-faced abductions and deteriorating human rights situation has since been embarrassingly exposed.

The regime change agenda has created an atmosphere of increasingly bitter rhetoric between what should be a well-meaning opposition and the ruling Government. It is this agenda which has created and recreated a polarised anti-furtherance environment, which has seen ablating living standards in Zimbabwe.

The lowest point in this feigned crisis and most "lamented" human rights situation came to naught when the theatrics of Dr Peter Magombeyi and the MDC trio failed and got exposed.

The MDC trio presented no threat under whatsoever circumstances to national security which makes it highly inconceivable that State agents could even think of abducting them. Even if they were a threat to national security or public order, the law could have taken its usual course and have them prosecuted.

Because just demonstrations in Warren Park had not gained the much needed attention to justify the State preying on its people, there had to be an abduction, to reinforce the narrative. It's an unfortunate reality that the ill-willed have invented a crisis to disturb any form of reasonable progress in Zimbabwe.

The engagement and re-engagement policy by the Second Republic is aimed at restoring Zimbabwe's position in the community of nations, this is why the President has shown commitment to address outstanding issues in Matabeleland and the compensation of former white farmers.

This admission that problems do not self-heal speaks of a progressive approach towards nation building and ensuring lasting peace. However, anti-progressive forces which had been hitherto the sole beneficiaries of the Zimbabwe's international isolation are working indefatigably to see to it that this policy doesn't materialise.

For the greater part of the past two decades Zimbabwe has been at peripheral shores of the global economy and when the cloud with a size of a hand is seen on the horizon detractors are up "de-seeding" the cloud. We are Zimbabweans first before we become anything.

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Emmanuel Murema is a peace activist and a political analyst