SPIKE IN PERSERCUTION OF FEMALE ACTIVISTS IN ZIMBABWE – A HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS OF WORRYING PROPORTIONS

20^th June 2020

By Estery Dhliwayo

In the aftermath of the shooting dead of seven unarmed civilian demonstrators by the Zimbabwe Republic Police officers in the week commencing Monday 14th January 2019 at least 11 women reported having been raped by soldiers and suspected ZANU-PF Militia during this period.

Fairly recent examples of persecution of female activists by the Zimbabwean state agencies include the abduction of Samantha Kureya (Gonyeti) who was abducted on Wednesday 21 August 2019.

Only 2 months ago we were outraged by the arrest and torture of two Bulawayo sisters by one of Zimbabwe’s state agencies, ZRP. Nokuthula and Ntombizodwa Mpofu were singled out from a long queue of desperate shoppers wanting to buy basic supplies during an ill planned lockdown due to the Covid-19 situation on 16^th April 2020 in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo.

Their real “crime”, it seems, was to speak isiNdebele, their mother language.

A few weeks later, the MDC Alliance trio of female activists, Joana Mamombe (MP), Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were abducted on Wednesday 13^th May 2020, in Harare by another of Zimbabwe’s state agencies, this time the notorious Central Intelligence Organization (CIO). They were subjected to horrible torture which included shoving guns down one’s private parts and being made to drink human excrement. To add salt to injury, so to speak, the Zimbabwean authorities have rushed to deny the abductions and, instead, have preferred criminal charges against the trio. They are being charged with faking the abduction. Just how one would injure themselves the way they were injured is beyond imagination.

Now we hear of the arrest on Friday 19^th June 2020 of yet another two activists, 21 year old Namatai Kwekweza and 23 year old Vongai Zimudzi. Their crime was to have asked why the despotic Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa was keen to amend the Zimbabwean constitution and was putting up a facade of a citizens constitution amendment consultation exercise, knowing very well that the restrictions placed by the Covid-19 induced lockdown would not allow many citizens to participate in the consultation exercise.

It seems the regime has now decided to focus on the female section of the Zimbabwean society to unleash a wave of persecution.

Despite having started his term of office in November 2017, albeit on the back of a coup, with the promise of a “new dispensation” where the state would respect citizens’ rights and freedoms, Emmerson Mnangagwa is turning out to be worse than his predecessor, Robert Mugabe.

Until we, Zimbabwean citizens, learn to stand up and fight the regime when one of us is being persecuted, the situation will never change and we will perish one by one.

This is now time to say “enough is enough” and take the bull by the horns.

As Namatai Kwekweza said on 19^th August 2019, “To every Zimbabwean, when fellow citizens are harassed, abducted and beaten up, SPEAK UP and SPEAK LOUDLY before the baboon eating your neighbour’s field comes to your field too. What we are experiencing in Zimbabwe is now a human rights crisis. Fight to defend human rights.

About the author;-

Estery Dhliwayo is a human rights activist and a member of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe’s UK Chapter. She is based in the United Kingdom and can be contacted by email on dhlessie@yahoo.co.uk