(Last Updated on March 2, 2022 by zimdaily)
HARARE – Chimurenga music maestro Thomas Mapfumo has condemned President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his subordinates for orchestrating violence against members of the main opposition. This comes after a Zanu-PF mob last Sunday violently attacked and disrupted a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rally in Kwekwe. CCC leader Nelson Chamisa was forced to pause his address as his members were stabbed with spears, machetes, stones and iron bars. Two of his supporters died.
Sixteen Zanu-PF members were arrested in connection with the incident. Eleven of them where realised and the reaminig five who are represented by different lawyers were not asked to plead when they appeared before Kwekwe regional magistrate Florence Nago who remanded them in custody to March 15. It is alleged that on February 27 at around 1530 hours, one of the accused persons stabbed Ncube with a sharp object thrice on the back. Ncube was rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital and was confirmed dead upon admission. The attack on CCC came a day after Zanu-PF second secretary and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga vowed to “crush” his opponents
“I have heard others here saying down with triple C, let me assure you that there is nothing that it can achieve, you see how we crush lice with a stone,” Chiwenga said.“You put it on a flat stone and then flatten it to the extent that even flies will not make a meal out of it,” Chiwenga added.
Mapfumo, a fierce opponent of the Zanu-PF regime, rebuked Mnangagwa, Chiwenga and the ruling party secretary for finance Patrick Chinamasa for exercising oppressive behavior on their opponents.
“Instead of campaigning properly to improve the economy, you’re conniving to plan to destroy Chamisa. Mnangagwa you should be ashamed of yourself. You are old enough but behaving like a young boy. You’re forcing people to support you,” Mapfumo said.
“You have failed. Let the young people lead. Your whole family from son to daughter in law are thieves. You should be ashamed of yourself. All of you including Chinamasa and Chiwenga.“You say you will crush Chamisa. Is he the economy? Now you have sold the country to the Chinese, everything including our animals.”
Germany-based Zimbabwean historian Professor Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni yesterday said Chiwenga’s sentiments were tantamount to “incitement of violence” and compared them to “genocidal politics”.
“Every election time is turned into war time! Why? Innocent lives have been lost because of this practice of politics of violence and death,” Ndlovu-Gatsheni said.