Mugabe and Zanu-PF poking a restless nation in the eye

It was the 28th June 1918 assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian Empire that provided the spark to the First World War even though bold signs of an imminent war had been on the wall for a long time. This, in history, became known as the Sarajevo Assassination.

Much closer to our time and geography, vividly, we are reminded of what Nelson Mandela said "There comes a time in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices - submit or fight". This becomes the last resort when a nation has explored all non-confrontational avenues of freeing itself from the bondage of oppression. Rightly so, Martin Luther King, Jr. corroborates this when he says "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." If Zimbabweans had waited for the white minority regime to voluntarily surrender our freedom, we would have waited a thousand years, probably much longer. Zanu-PF opportunists and mafia now in the business of oppressing us would still be toiling in Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and other places, away from the ill-gotten wealth that has become the glaring epitome of their three decades of misrule.

Events of the past few days have brought to memories these instances and quotes in history. Zanu-PF, in its wisdom or lack of, must know that the general populace is angry, very angry owing to its dismal failure to manage the economy. Denying citizens the right to express themselves freely is not only unconstitutional but preposterous. Why anybody would see it fit to abduct defenceless Itai Dzamara given the prevailing national mood, is anybody's guess. If the idea was to test people's reaction, then this is a strategy that is likely to backfire one day. I don't think that Zimbabweans are docile, they are simply peace-loving and law-abiding, this is not synonymous with cowardice and must not be misconstrued as such. Our patience is not infinity. If the Zanu-PF mafia continues to push people to the edge, soon and very soon, they will have themselves to blame.

The uninformed hooligans and intellectual thugs are busy stoking fires all over the place; within their own camp and against the general public. Certainly, this is not sustainable. It's a matter of how not if it will end. If Zanu-PF cannot read the national mood, either they are totally blind or grossly stupid or both.

On 11 March 2007, the State unleashed its dogs of terror against the defenceless MDC leadership following a peaceful prayer meeting. Images of battered Tsvangirai, Sekai Holland, Grace Kwinjeh and others went viral around the globe which attracted strong condemnation from the international community including the Secretary-General of the United Nations. This happened at a time when the MDC was probably at its weakest following the devastating split of 2005 but the moment of madness of March 2007 changed the fortunes for the movement which went on to win elections in March the following year in what was clearly a protest vote. That Zanu-PF refused to hand over power, doctored the results and manufactured a fictitious run-off, is another matter.

Fast forward to March 2015, Zanu-PF repeats exactly the same mistake of being in the international media for the wrong reasons by adducting or causing the abduction of human rights activist, Itai Dzamara. It's both ominous and interesting that this happens when the MDC is again at its weakest following the stolen election of July 31st 2013 and the split of April 2014.

One would think that there is somebody in Zanu-PF who is deliberately engineering these acts of madness to keep Zanu-PF in particular and Zimbabwe in general on the international radar for the wrong reasons. The coincidence is just too much to be ignored. Nevertheless, whatever the motive, this must not be done at the expense of innocent citizens such as Ital Dzamara. Like any other citizen, he deserves, freedom, liberty and safety as guaranteed by the national constitution. Throwing innocent citizens into the boot of unmarked cars only to appear at some police station days later is not only inhumane and illegal but animalistic, it's absolutely barbaric.

Walking into one of Zimbabwe's supermarkets, you bump into your former junior at high school wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with Mugabe's face and the inscription "Vote ZANU" despite no election in sight. When you ask her "What's all this about and what's going on?" The reply is "Zvangu zviri kufaya, zviri kuita". On investigating further, you discover that the poor young lady is a mistress to one of the senior government ministers way older than her own father. This is how poor and immoral people have become under this clueless Zanu-PF government. Instead of creating the promised 2 million jobs, the "chefs" are busy enriching themselves and abusing vulnerable young girls. But I digress.

What Zanu-PF needs to be told unequivocally is that they are poking a restless nation in the eye. Soon, they shall reap the bitter harvest of their actions. A storm seems to be building on the horizon. If it won't hit now, it certainly will by 2018. "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

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Moses Chamboko is a pro-democracy advocate and Interim Secretary General for Zimbabweans United for democracy (ZUNDE). Views expressed here are personal. To visit ZUNDE, go to www.zunde.org or email info@zunde.org