14th June 2020
By Nontokozo Malaba
Ncube
The murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
on 25 May 2020 torched an unprecedented wave of all manner of demonstrations
and vigils across the globe. This is rightly so considering that this was
motivated by racial prejudice which can be traced back to the 400 year era of
slavery.
This got me thinking about our own situation in Zimbabwe.
The only difference being that the prejudice experienced in Zimbabwe is by a
ruling black elite upon poverty stricken and a hapless black citizenry.
In the George Floyd episode, I witnessed many Zimbabweans
taking part in demonstrations in the different parts of the world where they
now live. I wish Zimbabweans across the globe could have the same kind of
consciousness and will to act when it comes to the atrocities being committed
by the Zimbabwean government upon the citizens of Zimbabwe.
These range from state sponsored or state sanctioned murder,
abductions, torture, rape, displacements and other forms of persecution, both
physical and psychological. Not to mention Gukurahundi, a genocide perpetrated
in the 80’s on the people of Matabeleland and Midlands when the current
President, ED Mnangagwa was Minister of State for National Security (responsible
for the dreaded Central Intelligence Organization - CIO). He was in this
cabinet portfolio from 1980 to 1988.
The sad thing is that women in Zimbabwe tend to bear the brunt
when it comes to most of the atrocities. Their wares are confisticated when
they try to vend as a way of fending for their families. State agencies like
the Police and the Army often use rape as a political tool against women and
they have nowhere to report. Someone are tortured randomly and sometimes on
tribal grounds for minor offences. The likes of the two Bulawayo sisters come
to mind.
With regards to abductions, the case of Samantha Kureya (Gonyeti) who was abducted on Wednesday 21
August 2019 and more recently, the case of the MDC A trio of Joana Mamombe (MP), Cecilia Chimbiri
and Netsai Marova who were abducted on Wednesday 13th May 2020 are
recent cases in point.
And yet we have remained silent, as if nothing amiss is
happening. I am calling upon all human rights activists, members of the
opposition and civil society in general to join hands and start taking action now
and in future when an incident of state sponsored or state sanction atrocities
occurs.
Otherwise – we can’t breathe.
About the author;-
Nontokozo Malaba Ncube
is a human rights activist and a member of Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR)
Zimbabwe’s UK Chapter. She is also a member of the opposition MDC Alliance
party. She is based in the United Kingdom and can be contacted by email on
nmncube44408@gmail.com
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