Convicted trio: Truth shall set you free

The conviction pending sentence of Tungamirai Madzokere, Yvonne Musarurwa and Last Maengahama who are MDC-T activists accused of killing Inspector Petros Mutedza came as a relief to some and a shock to others. The Court's decision was always going to generate mixed reaction from the public, not because of facts and circumstances of the case but instead the polarised political environment that existed at the time of commission.

Any needless loss of life is an affront to the doctrine of goodwill to mankind and peace on Earth. That Inspector Petros Mutedza died in the line of duty is incontestable. Equally so is the fact that the death could have been avoided had political leaders been responsible enough to restrain their supporters rather than incite them.

The same things that happened that fateful day in 2011 are being replayed today. In 2011, the demonstration was not sanctioned by the Police as required by law and irresponsible elements decided to take the law into their own hands and confront law enforcement agents in Glen View 3 shops, culminating in the unfortunate incident.

Today we find elements within the same league of those that partook in the heinous capital crime instigating orgies of violence, looting, burning and assaulting policemen and women in without qualms. Previously, the targetting of police officers and police posts was a covert and surreptitious operation done under the cover of darkness, unlike now where they have become daring and are attacking during broad day light

Only yesterday, these elements went against a legit police ban on demonstrations in central Harare on the pedestrian whim that the law was unlawful, whatever that means. This happened even as the contest of the ban was still subjudice since opposition political parties and their pressure group and NGO allies had made an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking indulgence to quash the police ban.

My heart goes out to the family of the deceased for their loss. God knows the magnitude of progressive contribution he might have made to this nation had his life not been cut short in its prime. One can only hope that they find closure, content that the perpetrators of this crime against Zimbabweans' collective conscience and life that we hold sacrosanct have been tried in an open court and found culpable.

To the convicted felonies, no sane person may gloat over their comeuppance but, as the saying goes, these are the wages of sin. The arm of the law has a very long reach although sometimes it may appear as if it is taking ages to find justice. It goes without saying that political murders should be dealt with sternly irrespective of who perpetrates them. Worse still where such murders involve women who, by their nature, are and should be life givers, not takers. Nonetheless, our laws understand that women are among those that may not face capital punishment should they be convicted of first degree murder without extenuations. Kudos to our judiciary system for the three have a right to appeal presumably both conviction and sentence and other avenues even though they committed a grave offence.

One is tempted to think that maybe it is high time that the country explores the possibility of pursuing civil liability against people pronounced as criminally liable for loss of lives, just as happened in USA when O J Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges emanating from the death of his wife, Nicole, and her boyfriend but shouldered civil responsibility for the two's murders. He was ordered to restitute the deceased's families financially. In the trio's case, they have been convicted criminally and may be compelled to compensate the Mutedza family. God knows what will be left of the MDC-T as it is being pursued left right and centre by aggrieved parties seeking various forms of restitution

The equivocation by MDC-T officials and apologists to portray that party and its rank and file as law abiding flies in the face of logic as well as facts on the ground. It has not been pure coincidence that the so-called peaceful demonstrations have turned out to be opportunistic ventures for unjustified enrichment through looting burning and destruction of infrastructure.

It only takes good people, law abiding citizens to do nothing for those pining to fulfill a criminal fantasy to entrench this abominable culture of lawlessness, spontaneous or otherwise, and hold the country at ransom.

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Sambulo Vuma <samvumindaba@gmail.com