Zimpapers Logo

Tichaona Zindoga : Political Editor

There have been attempts to frame the recent disturbances in Zimbabwe, which have been characterised by violence between protesters and police, as social or civil “uprising”. Nothing could be farther from the truth: the fact of the matter is that the skirmishes witnessed in Harare on Wednesday and Friday were politically motivated acts of terror conducted by the opposition MDC-T, which has discovered — quite lately — that it was being overshadowed by people like Evan Mawawrire and Promise Mkwananzi.These acts are aimed at not only causing havoc and make the country ungovernable, but also instilling fear in the people of Zimbabwe.

There are three compelling examples that can illustrate just how the opposition has become an anti-people, terrorist organisation.

First, the burning of vendors’ wares, looting and destruction of state property.

On Friday, MDC-T thugs burnt an informal market in downtown Harare at a bustling place called Copa Cabana and traders lost a fortune.

The incident is so pregnant with meaning.

The market, like much of the informal business that now make up Zimbabwe’s economy, was operational and people were tending to their daily strivings to keep food on their tables.

The shops were open, too.

Many vendors and informal traders were heard complaining that the running battles between goons and authorities, in which thugs would seek human shields at populated spaces, were disturbing their work.

They were counting their losses from disruptions and looting.

The vendors and other informal and private businesses sent a clear message that they would not be part of politicking by the MDC-T.

This apparently did not go down well with the party and its thugs, hence the torching of the Copa Cabana market.

It will be critical to note that for a long time, the opposition hoped that the street vendors would be ready participants in any mass action that would set off a “revolution”.

After all, in Tunisia, that other time in 2011, it was a self immolating vendor who set the train of events that came to be known as the Arab Spring.

Thus, vendors that swelled in the streets of Harare and indeed other urban areas were considered some kind of revolutionary tinder.

To be fair, there were some in the ruling party that even expressed discomfort with this building mass of people on the street.

But, as events of the last couple of months have shown, these people have little interest in more than their daily quest for survival.

Not even the purported leadership of a “vendors union” by one Sten Zvorwadza an MDC-T activist and one time prospective MP for Mbare, has changed this fact and so many times we have seen Zvorwadza grandstanding for political reasons, but without a single vendor in tow or blessing him.

This self-evident truth has not escaped the MDC-T and the party vented its anger on these poor people.

This illustrates not only the fact that the skirmishes recently seen — and we hear are being planned — are in any way an expression of genuine social unrest or spontaneous activity against Government.

The political thugs are having their dance, and the people — including the very people who were billed to join in presumably because of their anger — are not interested.

This leads to the second point that illustrates how MDC-T has become anti-people and behaving like a terrorist organisation.

There is now, perhaps for the first time in post independence Zimbabwe, genuine fears among the people over the security of their persons.

Whereas a couple of months ago people would make routine visits into town and conduct their business, they now fear that they may be caught up in fights between thugs and authorities and that they may thus be unsafe.

So, people have to inquire whether it is safe to drive to work, to go shopping or visit a recreational park and meet with lovers — that is the terror that MDC-T has wrought in the people of Zimbabwe.

What was routine and taken for granted is no longer to be taken so lightly.

This is the very mark of terrorism and this cannot be part of any genuine social uprising.

Even law enforcement officers fear for their lives: police cars have been burnt and policemen and women beaten up.

The third aspect of the opposition terror is the dissemination of messages that seek to cause alarm and despondency in the people.

Platforms such as WhatsApp Messenger have been used by anarchists to generate and disseminate messages compelling people to act in a particular manner of risk losing life and limb.

The anarchists, for example, warn of a “national shutdown” and advise people not to go to work or do any business or risk having their cars burnt, businesses destroyed and their persons harmed.

People are told to avoid travelling because the roads will be dangerous.

There is a latest message doing the rounds on social media at the moment to this effect and with the following lines:

“PRESERVE THE SANCTITY OF LIFE BY STAYING INDOOR (SIC). CHENGETEDZA MOTOKARI YAKO, REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT THE TARGET OF CITIZENS’ ANGER. BUT IF YOU CHOOSE TO OPPOSE THIS ADVICE WE WILL NOT SPARE THOSE SIDING WITH OPPRESSORS . . . INFORM ALL YOUR RELATIVES AND YOUR LOVED ONES.”

This kind of messages has been circulating widely on the social media platforms and there is no doubting where they are emanating from and whose ends they are supposed to serve.

They are being used to chill the spines of citizenry and a peace-loving country like Zimbabwe that had not seen similar terrorism is genuinely concerned.

Concerned citizens have been passing on this message out of genuine fear.

Nobody would want their relatives, friends and colleagues to come in harm’s way.

As the originators and practitioners of this terror and threats of terror are known, it is only prudent that Government moves in to protect the citizenry so that the country may enjoy peace again.

The security of the person and property is sacrosanct and people cannot be denied that by anarchists that go on rooftops to announce anarchy and be allowed free rein and piss on the constitution and constitutional order of the country.

What is worse, this is being done to get the bloodthirsty cheering and dirty money of foreigners such as Americans, Australians, Canadians and the French.

That cannot be allowed here — neither do they allow it in their backyards.

This domestic terrorism must be dealt with decisively so that people sleep well at night, again.

Even dogs and other animals deserve their peace, and that is not possible when savages run amok and hack innocent pets to death like we saw on Friday as one dog was brutally killed by MDC-T protesters in Harare.