In the wake of Zimbabwe’s crippling sanctions, allegations of whistle-blowing have surfaced, revealing a pattern of paranoia-driven strategies employed by the opposition. These claims, unsupported by concrete evidence, are said to be fueled by Western capitals with an agenda of regime change. This perceived threat is seen as an existential challenge to the ruling Zanu PF party. Astonishingly, Zanu PF-linked crimes remain elusive to the overzealous yet frequently abused regional police force. Meanwhile, crimes with public evidence, such as the Draxgate scandal and a foiled gold smuggling attempt, involving individuals like Auxillia Mnangagwa, go unpunished. This article sheds light on these unsettling dynamics, showcasing how an illegitimate government has turned Zimbabwe into a circus.
The harsh sentencing of an alleged whistle-blower raises eyebrows, as no substantive evidence has been presented to the courts. However, the compromised judiciary, reliant on the ruling party’s favor, keeps such injustices alive. This dependence allows Zanu PF to exploit its grip on power. With aging judges refusing to retire, the constitution is at risk of further erosion to accommodate these loyalists. The notion of an independent judicial commission, presided over by compromised officials, is paradoxical. This corruption permeates the police force, allocating disproportionate resources to suppress citizens’ constitutional liberties, such as the right to assemble, express, and move freely.
What happened to those responsible for derailing the ZISCO steel plant between 2005 and 2008 or those involved in the 1999 Ministry of Water and Rural Development Chinese tender scandal? These individuals remain within the government, shielded from prosecution, unless it aligns with factional and politically motivated agendas. This selective justice loses steam after gaining propaganda traction on outlets like Auxillia Mnangagwa Television. The question looms: why does corruption and gross human rights abuses flourish while dissent, whether real or imagined, is met with state-sponsored backlash, including lawfare, extrajudicial violence, and rape?
The answer is rooted in the fear of losing power and the uncertainty surrounding Zanu PF’s prolonged, illegitimate reign. This uncertainty is the consequence of Zanu PF’s unlawful grip on power, which has insulated the party from domestic and international prosecution for its egregious violations of human and property rights. This is why the judiciary was captured and compromised – an attempt to shield Zanu PF from accountability. However, this strategy doesn’t hold on the international stage, particularly at the International Criminal Court, which seeks to prosecute Zanu PF officials.
Zanu PF understands that a peaceful transition of power to the opposition would bring about accountability, transparency, reconciliation, and peace. These ideals, in stark contrast to the current state of affairs, threaten Zanu PF’s grip on power and its ill-gotten wealth. This fear motivates Zanu PF to quash dissent, even against whistle-blowers like the imprisoned activist.
Zimbabwe has become a circus where exercising constitutional rights can lead to the forfeiture of freedom, while the ruling party enjoys protection from a partisan police force and a compromised judiciary. Zanu PF’s intolerance of dissent stems from its fear of losing illegitimate power and ill-gotten wealth, plundered at the expense of the people’s welfare. This is why Zimbabwe’s situation is nothing short of a circus – a grim spectacle where rule of law, manipulated justice, corruption, and human rights violations are allowed to persist.