Manheru justifies the unprovoked police brutality

The Mugabe 'official' view of the chaos in Harare on Friday is that it was the work of paid demonstrators for the imperialist West aiming at regime change. And, as everyone has learnt from the Herald, regime change is un-African.

This is not just a Zanu-PF attitude. Zuma, mired in corruption, spouts the same mantra. In fact there are all too many African leaders who view political opposition and any threat to their position as treasonous, justifying a change in the constitution to make this impossible.

In the topsy-turvy land of Zimbabwe, it was as if the demonstrators were the ones wielding the batons, indiscriminately spraying teargas around and blasting people with water cannons or worse. One would have thought it was the police who had been ordered by the High Court to stop a peaceful demonstration instead of being specifically told 'not to interfere'.

If nothing else, Friday's events show graphically how law and the constitution count for nothing in Mugabeland.

In a vivid account, the opposition MP Eddie Cross describes how he was on his way to take part in the protest when he was warned that it was dangerous to go any further.

'I proceeded to the collection point through rock strewn roads, burning tyres and saw running battles between young people and the police. I saw water cannons in action with blue dye in the water and one machine putting out a fire . . .

'I left the area and drove to Parliament to wash my face and get the tear gas out of my eyes. Then I tried to go back but was completely blocked by cars fleeing the battles in the central business district. Subsequently the street battles raged over much of the city, business closed down and the streets deserted. The army was deployed and helicopters were put up to monitor the people.

'Was there any need for this? Absolutely not! I had participated in four previous marches and had not felt for one instance any threat or danger. Just cheerful thousands celebrating their right to protest at the state of crisis through which we are all living. The violence was instigated by the police who were totally responsible for what followed'.

Mugabe's spokesman who goes by the pseudonym Nathaniel Manheru justifies the unprovoked police brutality in a turgid article in the Herald running to nearly 3,000 words. The Vigil advises you skip the tired rants on the CIA, Yugoslavia, Cuba, Chile, Iraq, Libya, Ghana, Syria etc and go to the end, where he notes that the demonstration took place within days of the opening of the agricultural show by the Vice President of Sierra Leone.

'Couldn't the demonstration have waited? Or is a right delayed already denied? How about the rights of the teeming multitudes who broke day in the hope of fun? How about Zimbabwe's obligations to citizens of other countries (leaders at that) under international law? How about public safety, law, order, life, limb? We sacrifice all that to look good in the eyes of the West?'

Sounding like Hitler in the bunker, he concludes: 'The line has been crossed. From now onwards, it shall be another country. This so 'caring' world can go hang. We have a country to protect. And govern. After all, we have hit the bottom. We can't fall'.

The Vigil thinks Charamba  (Manheru's real persona) was ill-advised to mention the agricultural show, at which the nonagenarian Mugabe nearly fell as he climbed out of his car, had to be helped to walk in slippers and then sat silent and half asleep.