Survival instinct has the last word Mr President

Obituaries
The numerous riotous incidents that have been witnessed in Zimbabwe in the past few weeks, the ugliest of which erupted in Beitbridge on Friday, are a clear message to the government that there is serious discontent simmering in the country — anger which can easily explode into countrywide unrest and national strife.

The numerous riotous incidents that have been witnessed in Zimbabwe in the past few weeks, the ugliest of which erupted in Beitbridge on Friday, are a clear message to the government that there is serious discontent simmering in the country — anger which can easily explode into countrywide unrest and national strife.

THE STANDARD COMMENT

A quick analysis of the causes of these ugly scenes points at provocation of an otherwise peaceful populace by a government that is insensitive to the people’s plight; authorities that have gotten used to taking people for granted and whose arrogance has become boundless. The message that these pockets of protests send to President Robert Mugabe and his government is that survival instinct has the last word.

We had a group of protesters camping at the Africa Unity Square in central Harare demanding answers to the mysterious disappearance of activist-cum-journalist Itai Dzamara who was abducted by suspected state security agents over a year ago. The reaction by government to this peaceful demonstration smacked outright arrogance and insensitivity characterised by brutality.

We also had the emergence of another group of angry citizens identifying themselves with the #thisflag campaign, who have declared they are fed up with poor governance and corruption that have brought untold misery to the people.

Then the country’s jobless masses, who have been reduced to street vendors despite their good education descended on one of the country’s biggest hotels demanding the ejection of Vice-President Phelekhezela Mphoko who has lived with his family for almost two years at the luxurious Rainbow Hotel at taxpayers’ expense. Mphoko stoked the anger by giving lame and egotistical excuses for his embarrassing behaviour.

We have seen too, street protests by Christian groups demanding that Education minister Lazarus Dokora stops the enforcement of his controversial national pledge at schools. There is also another group of disenchanted citizens going by the title Tajamuka (We have had enough and we won’t take anymore) which is picketing randomly around the country against corruption, misgovernance, arrogance by those that rule and all that has gone wrong with the country.

The lone cleric from Kariba, Patrick Mugadza has now launched a “#Mugabe must fall” campaign — a feat that no one would have dared before the country went completely haywire. He was followed last week by another audacious act from Mugabe’s former ardent supporter and Zanu PF losing parliamentary contender, Acie Lumumba who publicly insulted Mugabe in a manner and words never before heard in Zimbabwe. An angry Lumumba used the “F” word to insult the president and threatened whatever happened to him would also befall Mugabe’s children upon his death.

Such is the anger that is spreading in Zimbabwe, but isstead of dealing with the national economic crisis, government has taken their trademark arrogant route, lying to people and brutalising them.

While responding to the chaos that broke out at Beitbridge on Friday, Industry and Commerce minister Mike Bimha sought to make claims that government never stopped individual consumers from importing whatever they wanted. He claimed only businesses who imported for resale were affected by the SI, yet what is happening on the ground is that many thousands of people are having their personal goods confiscated at the borders — which is what sparked the ongoing protests.

And while Bimha was making this strange and untrue claim, which does not appear anywhere on the new law which his ministry has enforced, the security arm of government was deploying brute force to Beitbridge yesterday. There were reported scenes of people being assaulted and brutalised at the border town by members of the security forces, including the police and the army.

Meanwhile, Mugabe at whom these protests are directed, has remained silent — flying out of the country for regional meetings, receiving diplomats at State House and sending his wife to give and receive “Outstanding Investment” awards at resort centres – business as usual.

The general disgruntlement by citizens of this country is not something that Mugabe and his government can continue to ignore. Survival instinct has the last word Mr. President.