President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reiterated his call for tolerance and peace as Zimbabwe draws closer to the 2023 harmonised elections.
Speaking at the memorial service of national hero and liberation war fighter, Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo, who succumbed to cancer last year, the president said Moyo was a beacon of unity and the nation must honour his legacy by conducting peaceful elections.
The Sunday Mail, a state-run publication, quotes him as saying:
Furthermore, constructive criticism, as well as divergent views in the political, economic and social spheres must drive us towards a culture of tolerance, non-violence and peace.
This is more critical as the nation prepares for the 2023 harmonised general elections.
Some Context:
Zimbabwe has previously recorded violence prior to, during and after elections.
With cases of politically-motivated violence recorded this year going up, fears abound that the 2023 elections will be blood.
The United Nations has indicated that it will supervise the poll to avoid “another disputed election.”
There are reportedly two levels of political violence in Zimbabwe – intra-party (within a political party) and interparty (one party against another party) violence.
The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) claims that the ruling ZANU PF, together with the state security forces, is assaulting, abducting and or killing its members to force them to leave the opposition party.
ZANU PF denies the allegations saying it is a peaceful party which abides by the laws of the land.
In 2008, some members of the opposition MDC lost their properties while some were assaulted and or killed by alleged ZANU PF members who were reportedly working with war veterans, police, CIOs and the army.
Recent cases of political violence:
During the run-up to March 26, 2022 by-elections CCC supporters were attacked at a rally in Kwekwe leading to the death of Mboneni Ncube after being stabbed with a spear.
The Gokwe-Kabuyuni by-elections held on August 27 saw Nelson Chamisa’s convoy under attack allegedly by senior ZANU PF officials with Local government minister July Moyo allegedly involved.
Senior ZANU PF officials are on record threatening that 2023 will be worse than 2008 when members of the opposition MDC were attacked and killed in the run-up to the run-off election.
So says The Commander-in-Thief who promoted Brigadier Anselem Sanyatwe who massacred 6 unarmed civilians on August 1, 2018. Brigadier Sanyatwe was promoted to Ambassador in recognition of his efforts to secure victory for the Coup Commander
the sad truth is that the good for nothing f.u.***d up Ed.***ts in the rural areas are going to vote for these guys .if you notice
,all the educated people in the big cities always vote for change,it's these ganja smoking rural people who always let us down.If you were to ask me I don't see any improvement, because even the violence happence mostly in the rural areas.ITS JUST HOPELESS.
Check the results of the urban areas and you will notice that zanupf loses by a small margin in those urban areas where you assume the people are more educated.
Political ignorance knows no bounds. The urban are voting for the opposition that recently accepted $40k bribes from zanupf. They voting for councillors who have failed dismally to open Mupedzanhamo, collect gabbage or provide running water. The same educated urbanites rejected Fadzayi Mahere just because she was independent and instead voted for someone from Malawi 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂what a joke
vaMaparamuro, zvakanzi naThomas Mapfumo kudyiwa kudyiwa bedzi, even in horse racing bhiza rasiiwa nemhunho radyiwa. Hakuna Chinonzi kudyiwa mbichana.
Mugabe akahlabiwa naTsvangirai muna2008 akazoponeswa nemauto aakudimbura vanhu maoko
@ no name Sanyatwe wasn't promoted that was a demotion.ingori nyaya yekuti urikufunga kuti kuita ambassador kunoshamisira.
@tintin, you are entitled to your own opinion about Sanyatwe and his promotion/demotion. I am entitled to mine
Akandirwadzisa munhu uyu kuuraya 6 people one day ngozi iyi icharwadza vasina mhosvaa