Zimbabwe MP says violence is so pervasive that every politician wants to have an army to deal with opponents

What is then happening is that these young people end up being more violent, because they are getting protection from the Presidium.  So, if you are getting protection from the Presidium, why should I stop fighting?  I speak with so much passion because I see us dividing our nation because of the political interest that we have.  It is not the first time, if you go through the Constitution, it is very clear about the role of the police – Section 219 (3), the police service must be non-partisan, national in character, patriotic, professional and subordinate to civilian authority as establish by this Constitution.  So, you are now getting the police to be partisan when they should be non-partisan because they work on instructions.  When they see the Vice President they have no choice but to salute and take the instruction, but is that what the Constitution says?

So, we have leaders violating the Constitution everyday and breeding this ground for these young people to be violent.  They go out there to go and destroy peoples’ properties when demonstration are there, knowing that they are protected by the Presidium.  To me, we must not mince our words when we come to this situation because the act of violence in political parties, intra party can also affect any of you especially on the ZANU PF side, where the factions are even more dominant than any other party.

They are now using violence to be able to dictate who is more powerful.  I saw it myself when I was the provincial chairman when the Hon. Minister of Defence, Sekeramayi’s wife was beaten up at the ZANU PF Headquarters by ZANU PF youths – [HON. MEMBERS: Ahh.] – because of the factions because people believed that Cde. Sekeramayi was Gamatox and the wife was beaten up.  How would you allow honestly, a Minister to have his wife beaten up and the party does not even issue a statement?  It means you are giving a go ahead for these young people to be violent.

I equally saw it in Hurungwe West where the Human Rights Commission report is very clear about the acts of violence, which pains me because these are the people that I served.  Innocently because of their will and their right to exercise their vote, they were beaten up.  Why beat up a person because you differ from their opinion?  Is this the nation that we want to build?  Are we here because of the will of the people or we are here because of violence?  It is a question I ask every legislature in here.   From the primary elections that you underwent did you every the youths to beat anybody, if they did may the good Lord forgive you.  It is important that we exercise this from our political parties, because this aspect of violence is growing and while it is growing it needs to be curbed.

We have innocent people who are running their businesses in these hard times having their properties being destroyed, goods being looted.  They took loans and now they cannot pay back the loans and we still are not strong on it.  The police from what I know of them will never act until they are given instructions to act, especially when it is a so called political matter. They will tell you we are waiting for a directive.  They have taken off to be able to practice and what I am saying is that the hierarchy in the police must understand that the many people from all political parties who have suffered violence, some have died, is something that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, because the Commissioner General of police must be able to leave that office one day to say that I discharged my duties professionally I am in accordance with the Constitution of the country.  My question is will he be able to respond to that affirmatively.

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