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Isdore Guvamombe – Assistant Editor
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. No, never!

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

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.

Today in Zimbabwe there are people in prison, in remand prison, in police custody and on the run. There are Zimbabweans licking their wounds at home and in hospital.

Some are now lying in cold  graves and yet the social media teaser bullocks are still safe and sipping coffees, watching TV in America, Britain, France, South Africa and many other countries. Cry my beloved    people.

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 stupid and 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.