Opinion / Columnist
Rogue MDC-T elements should face the full wrath of the law
25 Aug 2016 at 08:44hrs | Views
Movement of Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) goons embarked on senseless hooliganism; looting shops, stoning properties and vehicles as well as burning vehicles belonging to the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation in Harare on 24 August 2016. They looted mobile phones, laptops, groceries alcoholic beverages and cash; beating up innocent people in the process. They also smashed people's mobile phones during their madness. These malcontents were staging an unsanctioned demonstration against alleged police brutality.
These barbaric acts were clearly planned at that party's Harvest House Headquarters by the party's leadership which should shoulder the blame and pay compensation to victims of this insanity.
Instead of being apologetic and denounce the uncalled for violence, that party's spokesperson, Mr. Obert Gutu, shamelessly said, "Our youths assembly is the most disciplined and well behaved of all political parties in this country. Those behind (the skirmishes) are infiltrators and other state agents that are causing mayhem.
The police, however, should never use heavy-handed tactics. We urge them to abide by what is set out in the Constitution. The police should not be trigger happy. They should not be teargas happy".
Who is fooling who here? Since when have MDC-T hooligans have suddenly become "the most disciplined and well behaved of all political parties in the country"? Zimbabweans know how violent MDC-T thugs are. They have even beaten up their fellow party members as well as petrol bombing of buses, houses and police stations in the past.
It is the responsibility of organizers of demonstrations to make sure that the demonstrations are peaceful; thus MDC-T should not lie to Zimbabweans by alleging that its demonstration was infiltrated by imagined state agents to cause mayhem.
Instead of showing maturity and condemn the unnecessary violence being perpetrated by his party's thugs, Mr. Gutu is complicity in urging the thugs to continue creating mayhem in the country. His calls upon the police to stand akimbo, whilst his party's goons are destroying the country, are misplaced. Is it constitutional to destroy properties and loot shops, Mr. Gutu? The police have a constitutional duty to make sure that law and order are observed all the time. The police are mandated to use minimum force to restore law and order. Provoking the police by stoning and beating up police officers as well as burning their vehicles and bases should never be tolerated. Such amount of provocation is calculated to force the police to over react so that opposition political elements can justify allegations of police brutality, and subsequently calls for security sector reforms in the country.
Such shenanigans will not work as the police will decent heavily on unruly malcontents hired to create anarchy in the country. The police should not be deterred from performing their duties by failed political movements like the MDC-T which is seeking to get into power through the back door.
Mr. Gutu's reaction to the mayhem which unfolded in Harare at the hands of his party's thugs, after having strategized their nefarious actions at Harvest House, confirms that the leadership of that party is behind this shameful barbarism. It is very likely that stones and catapults, used during the mayhem, were dished to the thugs by the party leadership at Harvest House.
It is therefore, very logical for the police to hunt down every MDC-T thug who took part in the violence as well as the instigators and planners of this barbaric act. Such inhumane goons have no place among peaceful Zimbabweans; hence, they should be locked up for a very long time. Zimbabwe's courts should also take note of the fact that demonstrations which MDC-T arrange or participate in always end up in untold violence; hence, the need to ban them. Destruction of property, looting of shops and beating up of innocent people, under the excuse of having a constitutional right to demonstrate, is against tenets of the country's Constitution which opposition political elements always quickly refer to.
These barbaric acts were clearly planned at that party's Harvest House Headquarters by the party's leadership which should shoulder the blame and pay compensation to victims of this insanity.
Instead of being apologetic and denounce the uncalled for violence, that party's spokesperson, Mr. Obert Gutu, shamelessly said, "Our youths assembly is the most disciplined and well behaved of all political parties in this country. Those behind (the skirmishes) are infiltrators and other state agents that are causing mayhem.
The police, however, should never use heavy-handed tactics. We urge them to abide by what is set out in the Constitution. The police should not be trigger happy. They should not be teargas happy".
Who is fooling who here? Since when have MDC-T hooligans have suddenly become "the most disciplined and well behaved of all political parties in the country"? Zimbabweans know how violent MDC-T thugs are. They have even beaten up their fellow party members as well as petrol bombing of buses, houses and police stations in the past.
It is the responsibility of organizers of demonstrations to make sure that the demonstrations are peaceful; thus MDC-T should not lie to Zimbabweans by alleging that its demonstration was infiltrated by imagined state agents to cause mayhem.
Instead of showing maturity and condemn the unnecessary violence being perpetrated by his party's thugs, Mr. Gutu is complicity in urging the thugs to continue creating mayhem in the country. His calls upon the police to stand akimbo, whilst his party's goons are destroying the country, are misplaced. Is it constitutional to destroy properties and loot shops, Mr. Gutu? The police have a constitutional duty to make sure that law and order are observed all the time. The police are mandated to use minimum force to restore law and order. Provoking the police by stoning and beating up police officers as well as burning their vehicles and bases should never be tolerated. Such amount of provocation is calculated to force the police to over react so that opposition political elements can justify allegations of police brutality, and subsequently calls for security sector reforms in the country.
Such shenanigans will not work as the police will decent heavily on unruly malcontents hired to create anarchy in the country. The police should not be deterred from performing their duties by failed political movements like the MDC-T which is seeking to get into power through the back door.
Mr. Gutu's reaction to the mayhem which unfolded in Harare at the hands of his party's thugs, after having strategized their nefarious actions at Harvest House, confirms that the leadership of that party is behind this shameful barbarism. It is very likely that stones and catapults, used during the mayhem, were dished to the thugs by the party leadership at Harvest House.
It is therefore, very logical for the police to hunt down every MDC-T thug who took part in the violence as well as the instigators and planners of this barbaric act. Such inhumane goons have no place among peaceful Zimbabweans; hence, they should be locked up for a very long time. Zimbabwe's courts should also take note of the fact that demonstrations which MDC-T arrange or participate in always end up in untold violence; hence, the need to ban them. Destruction of property, looting of shops and beating up of innocent people, under the excuse of having a constitutional right to demonstrate, is against tenets of the country's Constitution which opposition political elements always quickly refer to.
Source - Chadzimura Mhute
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