SHOW RED CARD TO MUGABE AND ZANU PF HATE SPEECH THIS ELECTION
Written by Chinofunga Ndoga
With talk of elections on the horizon and political parties going around the country holding campaign rallies, the season of hate speech by ZANU PF and Mugabe is again upon us. Hearts are sinking into troughs of despair. Hate speech by this geriatric ZANU PF leader has been one of his favoured weapons in attacking those that do not agree with his policies of doom and gloom. Hate speech has become an endemic and poisonous epidemic that has fractured and polarised society by promoting extreme levels of political, social and economic intolerance and hostility towards any group or individual that disagrees with Mugabe and ZANU PF perspective.
Inflammatory, intimidating and abusive propaganda peddled and spewed raw by Mugabe and members of his presidium, politburo, central committee and cabinet has by far and large translated into political violence carried out by militia groups like the notorious Chipangano and renegade security forces. This fanatical extremism propagated by ZANU PF career politicians has relentlessly become the diet for the ill-fed Zimbabweans. Songs by the like of Chimurenga Mbare Choir, Chinx Chingaira, Brian Muteki and the late musicians Andy Brown, Simon Chimbetu, Elliot Manyika and Border Gezi daily incite tribal and racial hatred through slogan and dance. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and all the print media under the Zimpapers stable broadcast and publish inflammatory stories that fill the minds of the vulnerable unemployed youths with hatred and lust for blood.
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s dictator at the helm since 1980 is guilty of some of the most vicious racism with a disastrous policy of state sponsored terrorism which led to criminal acts of stealing and looting of farms and businesses. ZANU PF has planned and promoted through hate speech the systematic annihilation of opposition supporters and sympathisers. This maximum hatred for a minimum of reason has led to a meticulous plan of massacre and extermination. Opposition supporters of every creed and caste continue to be killed and dumped into rivers, dams, disused mine shafts and even at hospital morgues during the dead of the night. Others are reported to be cruelly fed to crocodiles alive.
Through hate speech white commercial farmers became scapegoats for failed socialism policies and were violently removed from their properties. The High and Supreme Court judges were terrorised and assaulted by mobs in their chambers. The offices of the daily news newspaper were bombed. The arbitrary arrest and torture of government critics intensified. This reckless promotion of racial hatred led to imprisonment of the likes of Roy Bennet on flimsy charges. Human rights activist like Jestina Mukoko who dared to document such acts of brutality by ZANU PF were not spared the wrath of systematic torture. Journalists and editors continue to be arrested and tortured on a daily basis for daring to expose ZANU PF corruption and intransigence. Pastors and Clergymen are arrested for praying for peace and justice.
Under Robert Mugabe’s racist and tribal regime tens of thousands of Ndebele tribesmen were massacred. The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace report put the figure of the Gukurahundi genocide at 20000. During the madness of the shambolic 2008 harmonised elections, it is reported that over 500 MDC supporters and sympathisers were callously killed. Today state security agents continue to stifle debate on Gukurahundi genocide. Politicians, civil society workers, media personnel and clergy continue to be harassed, intimidated and locked away for daring to speak about the evils of 5th Brigade in the systemic persecution of ZAPU supporters and opponents of ZANU PF.
