'Mnangagwa has always been at the centre of atrocities'

The recent re-emergence of violence by Zimbabwe's brutal regime, soon after the announcement of the 30 July 2018 harmonized elections, should never come as a surprise to anyone, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has always been at the centre of all the atrocities committed by this rogue entity.

It is anyone's guess why the so-called international community would be gullible as to believe all those lies spewed by Mnangagwa after his equally violent military coup in November 2017, which saw the shooting at the homes of some senior government ministers, resulting in the killing of several aides.

It is the lie of all lies that the coup was a 'peaceful transfer of power' alleged by both Mnangagwa and the international community - as even Zimbabwean courts confirmed this by their judgement that former minister Saviour Kasukuwere's unauthorised crossing of the country's border during the coup was justified as his life was gravely in danger, characterised by the military shooting at his house.

How can that be described as 'peaceful'?

Now that the official results of the 30 July elections have been announced, showing that Mnangagwa garnered only 50.8%, a figure most likely to have been fixed, as it could actually be much lower, he has gone all out by his military shooting and killing unarmed protestors, as well as hunting down opposition activists.

He has also instituted a witch-hunt in his own party as to how ZANU PF could get over two thirds majority, and yet he just managed to squeeze through.

From past experience, it would not be a huge surprise that several senior ZANU PF officials will start dying in mysterious car accidents, and disappearing - if they are fortunate enough, they will be expelled from the party.

The international community should wake up now to the reality about Mnangagwa and his party - they have always been, and they will always be, cold-blooded murderers with the blood of innocent people on their hands.

Let us not forget that Mnangagwa, as security minister, was at the forefront of orchestrating the 1982 to 1987 Gukurahundi atrocities that had over 20,000 innocent and unarmed people ruthlessly massacred.

What crime had those people, mostly of the Ndebele tribe, committed for Mnangagwa to see it fit that they deserved death?

Mnangagwa did not just stop there, as he was also personally involved in the encouraging of ZANU PF supporters to kill any Ndebele people in the Kwekwe district of Zimbabwe, where their lifeless bodies were placed on railway lines, so that they could be run over by trains, resulting in their deaths being categorized as suicide, or that they were ran over whilst drunk.

Mnangagwa also encouraged his party supporters to force Ndebeles to climb to the top of very tall trees, where they were ordered to jump off, resulting in most of them dying, or receiving serious injuries, or maimed for life.

This was done in front of residents of those mostly high density suburbs - in order to frighten them not to vote for any other party - as Ndebeles were suspected of supporting the opposition ZAPU.

When then president Robert Gabriel Mugabe lost the first round of the 2008 presidential election to MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai, it is alleged that he was more than ready to conceed defeat, but Mnangagwa and his military friends forced him to stay in power, thereby cooking the results such that, the opposition leader could not get an outright first round victory - forcing a run-off.

The period between the first round and run-off was characterised by the second most heinous atrocities, after Gukurahundi, in which hundreds of alleged opposition supporters were massacred.

This led to Tsvangirai dropping out of the race, as a way not only to protest the killings, but also hoping that these acts would stop.

However, the killings continued, leading to the formation of a government of national unity.

Mnangagwa is nothing but a vicious monster, who should be treated as such, and be held accountable in international courts, similar of others who committed war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

He should not be gallavanting all across global capitals as a statesman, but should be in jail facing his punishment.

It is so disheartening witnessing various world leaders welcoming such an evil murderer, and negotiating deals, yet he is tens of thousands of times worse than the Grim Reaper.

The next time he visits any Western capital, Mnangagwa should be arrested forthwith.

Mugabe's atrocities were nothing without Mnangagwa, as he was the chief engineer of all these inhuman heinous acts.

Therefore, if Mugabe is to blamed for anything, Mnangagwa should share equally in that blame.

Kudakwashe Sheddy Marangwanda is a UK based activist.