Mnangagwa's 'fumigation' rant draws fire

Tue, 25 Apr 2017

Blessings Mashaya  

HARARE - Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s claim that the ruling party is “fumigating” elements bent on weakening it ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections has angered some people who claim that the statement reminds them of the Gukurahundi killings of innocent civilians in the early 1980s.

This comes as Mnangagwa’s name has been mentioned regularly in association with the massacres. But in a recent interview with a British newspaper, the VP vehemently denied the accusations saying at the time of the killings there was a commander in chief of the army and so he could not have issued orders as a mere minister.

Speaking at the burial of the late Zanu PF Midlands deputy provincial chairperson, Kizito Chivamba, over the weekend, Mnangagwa said Zanu PF was currently in the process of dealing with all people who are causing problems in the party.

“Chivamba has gone at a time when the party is internally fumigating itself from elements bent on weakening and destabilising it ahead of the 2018 elections.

“It is in this spirit that I call upon all those he has left behind to remain united as we gear ourselves towards victory in the 2018 elections,” Mnangagwa said.

“Chivamba was like Job of the Bible. He was accused of a lot of things when he was in the party, which led to his suspension. However, the truth later prevailed and he was cleared. This is because the truth is like light — it prevails over darkness,” he added.

The comments have since drawn the ire of the opposition, human rights groups as well as some of his colleagues in the ruling party.

“While it does  not concern us  how Zanu PF deals with its internal issues, however, as the ruling party, we can only assume that the way it deals with such issues reflects the manner it solves national issues so for me it doesn’t surprise me,” former National Healing minister Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, said.

“It’s the kind of statement that we condemn. When you talk of fumigating you are talking about killing,” he said.

Mzila-Ndlovu said Zimbabweans must also take the blame “for taking this nonsense quietly and failing to act”.

“We have seen the destruction of property. He (Mnangagwa) has never known any consequence for his behaviour. He knows that he can be arrogant without any consequence at the end.

“The role of government is to protect people, but they are doing the opposite. I find it unforgivable if Zanu PF wants to live with that, it shows that they are acting like zombies,” he said.

Mnangagwa has denied the allegations that he stoked tensions during the Gukurahundi era, after he was said to have uttered words to the effect that dissidents were cockroaches that required the use of DDT.

Still, ZimRights director Okay Machisa said Mnangagwa must apologise for using that language.

“If you talk about fumigating you are talking of killing. It’s not good language. There are so many words that fit into what he wants to do . . . fumigating . . . you are killing in large numbers,” Machisa said.

“It reminds people of Gukurahundi. As Zimbabweans, we need to refrain from using such language. Whether it’s Zanu PF or opposition parties, there is need to deal with differences peacefully. I call upon the vice president to use language that promotes unity among people of Zimbabwe,” he added.

Zanu PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo also joined the bandwagon, firing brickbats at Mnangagwa on social media for using the controversial word.

“Zanu PF fumigating itself. Use of the word ‘fumigating’ is as most unfortunate as it is revealing!” Moyo tweeted.

“Fumigation is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides — or fumigants — to suffocate the pest with the poison within,” he added.

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Zimbabwe's stolen dream

Wed, 19 Apr 

Zimbabweans from all walks of life yesterday bemoaned the wretched life that they continue to endure under President Robert Mugabe and his warring Zanu-PF's misrule of the past 37 years of the country's independence from Britain.

This comes as Zimbabwe's economy continues to die - as manifested by rising poverty levels and joblessness, as well as the worsening cash crisis which has heightened fears that the country could soon hit the disastrous lows of 2008.

Many of the people who spoke to the Daily News said the prevailing economic situation in the country was making it difficult for them to appreciate the country's independence.

"The political independence we got has to a large extent been derailed because it is only a few people who are benefitting from it in terms of employment. Everything went wrong after independence.

"After 1980, the wealth of the country was not shared equitably, with those in power sharing everything with their cronies.

"There is general economic paralysis while service delivery is very poor. That is the reason why people are not happy. Things are just not working at all," former Cabinet minister and liberation struggle stalwart, Rugare Gumbo, said.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC also accused Mugabe and Zanu-PF of "completely ruining" a once prosperous economy through corruption and their destructive policies.

"Although we achieved political independence, we have dismally failed to build a united nation. On the economic front, it has been a disastrous 37 years because we have seen Zimbabwe degenerating from being the bread basket of southern Africa into a basket case, where more than 75 percent of the population is living in abject poverty.

"We have also allowed corruption to take root in all the facets of our lives. Going forward, we should strive to unite the people by seeking to build strong institutions as opposed to building strong personalities," MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu told the Daily News.

Zimbabwe is currently deep in the throes of a ginormous economic crisis which has seen tens of thousands of desperate ordinary citizens besieging banks on a daily basis seeking to withdraw their money.

The shortages of cash have since forced the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) to set the maximum limit for cash-back facilities by retailers and wholesalers at $20, as authorities desperately try to mitigate the worsening crisis.

At the same time, economists have told the Daily News that poverty levels in the country are skyrocketing, with average incomes now at their lowest levels in more than 60 years - and with more than 76 percent of the country's families now having to make do with pitiful incomes that are well below the poverty datum line of more than $500.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) political commissar, Francis Nhando, said yesterday that "the tragedy of Zimbabwe" was that when Mugabe was elected the country's leader in 1980, he had allegedly continued to use Rhodesian policies.

"People misinterpreted what (the late Rhodesian prime minister Ian) Smith meant when he said not in a 1 000 years.

"What he actually meant is that the interests of black people would not be achieved in a thousand years and that the interests of white people would continue to reign.

"As things stand, we have a perpetuation of the ... Smith rule. This is why you will never see white people in bank queues or in kombis (commuter omnibuses), or in high density suburbs ... which all means that we are still living in the Smith era," Nhando said.

Mugabe - the only leader that Zimbabweans have ever known since the country got its independence from Britain in 1980 - stands accused of ruining the once-vibrant economy through bad policies.

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2018 Election: Sanyati residents live in fear of State sponsored Political Violence

2018 Election: Sanyati residents live in fear of State sponsored Political Violence

As the nation braces for the 2018 polls, Sanyati residents in the Midlands province said they are living in constant fear of state sponsored politically motivated violence. They fear being victimised for supporting the opposition in what is reminiscent of the 2008 reign of terror where hundreds of opposition supporters were murdered. The ugly beast is again in season as Zanu-PF has allegedly already unleashed its weapon of choice, as evidenced by the setting up of terror bases by the Zanu-PF militias who are already toyi-toying wielding dangerous weapons in the area.Visibly panicking villagers gave horrifying tales of how they are already being cowed into submission by the Zanu-PF terror squads and added that these threats evoke the 2008 memories. One after the other, they narrated the trauma they have gone through since the 2002 election and the succeeding elections. One villager who chose to remain anonymous for fear of further victimisation had this to say, "Tiri kugara tichityisidzirwa kunzi tichakuitayi zvatakaita 2008." She further went on to narrate her 2008 ordeal of how she lost all her property to Zanu-PF arsonists in 2008. "Ndakapisirwa musha ndaenda kugraduation yemwana kuGweru ndikazoita zvekufonerwa nacouncillor kuti musha wakapiswa." Apparently the councillor was Zanu-PF.

She further went on to bemoan the partisan food distribution saying "We are being denied inputs because of our known affiliation to MDC-T. I am a political activist for the opposition and my name has been removed from the food distribution list. Without an iota of shame, our village head openly told us to go and get inputs from 'Tsvangirai baba venyu' inferring that the current distribution was from their political father President Mugabe.Tinoda kuti zvinhu zvakaita sechikafu, mbeu nefertiliser zvinobva kuhurumende zvisvike zvisina mutupo kana zita reparty." She said as women, they are always the victims and are also the most affected by political violence or other human rights violations. "As women we bear the brunt of these violations, because of joblessness and the economic meltdown we face and endure the wrath of these violations." She lamented.

Another victim of this Zanu-PF tyranny from ARDA ward 18 intimated that the neighbourhood watch committee members (vana ndinindamubata) and youth officers drawn from the famed Boarder Gezi national youth service recently underwent training by the "maguta" soldiers to weed out the opposition in the area in preparation for the forthcoming 2018 election. He further went on to say that "We don't know the duties and responsibility of these youth officers in our community save that they terrorise us. We are living in fear because 'takamborohwa, kupisirwa misha uye vamwe vakauraiwa asi takashaya protection zvikangorova zvakadero saka tave kutya kuti tinodzokororwa futi." She referred to Samson Abedinico Matore who was brutally murdered in 2002 at Neuso Growthpoint in Sanyati. He pointed out that well known notorious Zanu-PF assailants "Tsanga, Chucknorris, Pembedza, Zebra Kubvoruno and Dyodyo" in 2008 terrorised villagers but up to this day they are still moving scot free. They are back to their wanton ways of intimidating villagers because they are the law unto themselves. Our pleas are not being heard because the law enforcement agents in Zimbabwe have chosen to act unconstitutionally and side with Zanu-PF hooligans and this has allowed Zanu-PF activists to operate above the law and commit a series of atrocities.

Several other victims interviewed bemoaned the invisibility of international observers on the ground in remote areas such as Sanyati during election time. One victim had this to say "Tinoda maInternational observers vauye vaone zvinoitika kuno kumaruwa vagonosvitsawo mberi zvavanenge vaona." He said the 'sabhuku nevanhu vake' tactic was being used to criminally frog-march subjects to Zanu-PF meetings, and ultimately to the polls so as to absolutely make sure that they vote for Zanu-PF. He said it is a deliberate tactic by the Zanu-PF government to ignore the poor state of rural roads in remote parts of the country so that international observers would not access these places where the party perceives to garner much of its grassroots support and coerces voters to vote against their will.One war veteran and village head, bemoaned the disbanding of JOMIC and gave a nostalgic tale of how he used to support Zanu-PF since the war of liberation but has now since jumped ship to join the opposition MDC-T because the regime has long since abandoned the ideals of the war of liberation that brought independence. He intimated that he held several Zanu-PF party posts and had worked as a civil servant for forty (40) years but said 'ndakatorerwa plot ndichinzi uri munhu weMDC, uri mutengesi.' We operate under very strict orders and we are forced to commandeer people to Zanu-PF meetings but as a headman I feel and I know it is wrong.

These threats alone really show that "leopards do not change their spots." This leaves the electorate with a lot of questions and extremely worried because Zanu-pf is sending a clear message that they do not want the 2018 election to be free and fair. Zanu-PF uses security forces, traditional leaders and party youths to violate civic human rights. Violence has been woven through the intricate fabric of Zimbabwe's political history. Cases of political violence in Zimbabwe have largely been as a result of the resolve by the regime to ensure President Robert Mugabe stays in office at all costs. History is clear how President Robert Mugabe has thrived on unleashing war and terror on his opponents and innocent unarmed civilians as evidenced by the Gukurahundi atrocities that massacred 20 000 lives and the 2008 political violence that resulted in the deaths of 200 opposition activists. It is indeed a shame that Zimbabwe for long has suffered from state sponsored violence at its sadistic height towards every election and as 2018 approaches. The ugly beast is again already in season.

Alfred Towo is a Zimbabwean freelance Journalist, an independent analyst, and opinion writer. Feedback on aliphytowo@gmail.com or on twitter @TowoAlfred

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MDC-T Youths Brutalise Fellow Party Member

Opposition MDC-T youths on Sunday brutalised a fellow party member for wearing a Zanu-PF T-Shirt at Gwenyambira shops in Mufakose.
Charles Muchemwa, who in 2008 contested the Mazowe South House of Assembly seat for the MDC-T, was beaten up by more than 10 party members, most of them youths, who were on their way to a rally in the same area.
According to NewZimbabwe , Muchemwa was wearing a t-shirt bearing the images of Zanu-PF Gokwe-Nembudziya law maker Justice Mayor Wadyajena.
He was beaten up while drinking beer at the shops.
Source - newzimbabwe

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Call for Membership

Umthunzi  Mumvuri Association has changed to Umthunzi Mumvuri Peace Initiative Trust in a bid to encompass more players from all around the globe.Those interested in joining the trust can contact us on:
www.facebook.com/umthunzi49
Twitter @umthunzi49

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