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Isdore Guvamombe Saturday Lounge Reflections

The smells, sounds and deaths of Covid-19 are for all and sundry to experience. Covid-19 also known as the coronavirus is now hard on us than even before.

Let us get real and play it safe.

Unless and until we change our attitude, unless and until we depoliticise the fight, and indeed unless and until we accept the reality that it is on us, we will have no one, but ourselves to blame.

The politics of demonstrations has no place in such times, unless we are out of our minds.

Like HIV and AIDS, we will soon find out that no single family will remain without losing a father, a mother, a sister or a daughter. Uncles, grandfathers, aunties and grandmothers, among others!

Surely, the signs, sounds and deaths of Covid-19 are here for all to see.

While elements in the opposition intended to demonstrate yesterday against the grain of the fight against Covid-19, we lost the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Cde Perrance Shiri.

Organisers and sympathisers of the illegal demonstration were insensitive to the level Covid-19 had hit the country, albeit with the statistics, clearly there for all to see.

Instead of accepting the reality and working with Government, the organisers sought to promote the spread of the disease through illegal gatherings and marches.

It is the fad of our time, that we throw caution to the wind and recklessly plunge into dangerous ground.

The security forces, deployed by Government to marshal and enforce the rules became enemy number one of the same people they were protecting.

Again that is the fad off our time, not to respect our security sector, simply because the United States of America and its allies in Europe have taught us to disrespect our own defenders.

This systematic teaching came through a multifarious array of Non-Governmental Organisations, whose pockets are oiled with filthy money.

The narrative seeking to demonise the security sector for overriding criminals whose intention is to run down the country and render it ungovernable is myopic and stupid.

It is akin to allowing the devil to preach sanctity.

Who does that?

Growing up in our village north of Zimbabwe, we herded cattle in the vast swathe of land that surrounded Nyakaocha Mountain.

One exciting aspect of cattle herding was bull fighting on the foot of the mountain.

Almost all the fights were started by teaser bullocks.

Theirs was a systematic way of inciting others to fight. With their small angled horns, they mooed and booed, tails up and spattered dung, gored bushes and anthills, muddied their faces to make themselves look angrier and fierce.

They jumped up and about in a frenzy of push-on antics.

The bigger bulls picked up the aura, fretted and went after each other, closed in and exploded in a big fight.

The bullocks immediately retired to the gallery to join the galaxy of cows, oxen and calves watching and grazing on the lush greenery.

The big bulls exploded into jabs and uppercuts until the vanquished male ran for dear life and started licking its wounds in pain and humiliation.

The bullocks would break loose again and again, spatter dung, gore bushes and anthills, all push-on the fight, of course, from a safe distance. They never fought themselves.

In Zimbabwe, there is a growing group of teaser bullocks on social media, and in most cases these are Zimbabweans living abroad and freely saying any nonsense to spark a war between Zimbabweans at home and the Government.

They are safe in their havens, sipping coffee, drinking expensive whiskey and inciting fighting through social media.

When the riots break out they enjoy, for, they are physically safe. Their bodies are wicked and house brains that think they can incite others back home to move mountains, when they are safe.

They are anarchists, who thrive on causing disharmony and destabilising the country.

Their duty is to incite Zimbabweans back home to try and fight a war they will never win. At the end, they all lose.

The unthinking and the gullible Zimbabweans, especially in the ghettoes at home then lock horns with State security and face the full wrath of law enforcement.

Soon they start licking their wounds.

Soon they face jail.

Soon they lose life and limb.

Soon they destroy property and kill innocent people.

Soon others die.

When anyone posts on social media supporting Government projects, blood runs to their heads more than other parts of the body.

They attack, attack and attack on social media.

They enjoy the anarchy.

Most of them left Zimbabwe on a plinth of lies about the country and are afraid that if things get better back home, they will be sent back home.

They are political chancers who have lost their moral compass, their political focus and, yes, their respect from the electorate and deserve no other place in the political history of this country than the dustbin.

The idea of effecting regime change by trying to create a legitimacy crisis through burning tyres, blocking roads, looting shops and beating up free moving people is a figment of a poor mind, housed in a body completely incapable of doing anything useful.

Those who seek solace in violence and blame the security sector of “heavy-handedness” when police and military react do not deserve any better place in our society.

The moment one stops demonstrating peacefully and starts violating other people’s rights by blocking their free movement, threatening them, burning tyres and cars and looting shops, you become a criminal and you face the full wrath of State security.

You automatically invite State machinery to protect and defend innocent citizens, who should be allowed to go about their daily chores undisturbed and whose property should stand untouched.

The narrative seeking to demonise the security sector for overriding criminals whose intention is to run down the country is myopic.

It is akin to allowing the devil to run away with the Bible.

The security forces were not deployed for nothing.

They were deployed to bring back sanity after the madness that saw violence unleashed on innocent people.

It must be made clear that the security forces are never deployed when all is well.

They have no business disturbing the peace and tranquillity of the citizens of this country.

Their mandate is to maintain law and order. Their mandate is to defend innocent people from hooligans masquerading as democrats.

Their mandate is to defend property from thugs and thieves.

This country deserves better.

We can do better by airing our grievances properly.