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They did it in January, disrupting business and the normal flow of life in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo.
They unleashed an orgy of violence, blocking roads with dirt and flaming tyres, harassing people, breaking into shops, looting and later burning them. In many cases, they confronted and overcame police, injuring 78 and killing one in Bulawayo.
The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries estimates that the economy could have lost business amounting to $300 million over the January 14-16 mayhem called by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and MDC Alliance. T
he ostensible reason why they called the action was to protest against a fuel price increase that had taken effect a few days earlier, but the real motive behind was to attempt to unseat the Government through street violence or at least force Zanu-PF into some sort of unity government with MDC Alliance.
The usual culprits, according to intelligence that the Government has gathered, are plotting yet another attempt, likely to be rolled out this month. The ostensible reason is to protest against the social impact of the prevailing economic challenges but the real motive is obvious.
Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Cain Mathema, addressing a Press Conference in Harare on Monday said a workshop to mobilise and capacitate civic organisations towards that end had already been scheduled for an undisclosed date this month in Bulawayo.
“It is disturbing to note that the ZRP and other security services have gathered intelligence to the effect that a group of foreign nationals want to facilitate a three-day civic organisation workshop in Bulawayo in May 2019,” he said.
“The main agenda of the workshop is to mobilise and capacitate civic organisations and individuals to stage purported effective demonstrations and disturbances to overthrow the Zanu-PF Government. My ministry has since directed the Commissioner-General of Police to put in place adequate security measures. The police will thwart any civil disobedience or violent machinations by individuals, political parties and civic organisations under the guise of freedom of assembly and other hidden activities. Members of the public are accordingly advised to ignore any incitement to violence or participate in unsanctioned gatherings that may cause instability in the country. Any acts of lawlessness should be reported to the nearest police station so that the law is applied without fear or favour.”
No sane Zimbabwean will tolerate such plotting against a democratically elected government which is working so hard to rebuild the economy.
We thus unreservedly condemn the opposition and their NGO cousins for seeking an illegitimate change of government. We urge the Government to take every step within its powers; to apply the law to the letter to be able to contain the violence that might occur.
In January, some people were fooled into joining the ZCTU violence, resulting in up to 1 000 arrests. Hundreds of them were arraigned and have been given lengthy jail terms.
We urge our people to reject the ZCTU-MDC Alliance axis and its evil designs not only because the designs are illegal but also that it is the people who will personally suffer the consequences of violent protests when the full might of the law descends on them.
Our people need to appreciate that the Government is working very hard to ensure economic recovery and growth and a better standard of living for them. The honest among us will see that indeed the economy is on the road towards that. Also, they should understand that the obtaining challenges are not a result of economic mismanagement.
They should understand that the US and the European Union would not maintain their illegal sanctions on our country if the measures lacked impact on the economy. As a matter of fact, the sanctions, called by MDC Alliance, are the primary reason why the economy hasn’t performed well over the past two decades.
It is, furthermore, important for our people to note that the belt-tightening regime that is being implemented by the Second Republic is sure to lead to sustainable, longer term development.
We regret that some among us may have misinterpreted the result of the austerity measures as a problem yet, in fact, they are part of the solution towards a prosperous Zimbabwe that we all hope for.
In that connection, the high government spending of old, which painted a false image of a sound economy when it actually masked extreme challenges to explode in future, has now been contained.
Thanks to the spending cuts, the Government is realising budget surpluses when, a few years ago, deficits were the order of the day. It is on the basis of austerity measures, in addition to more foreign direct investment that we will put the economy on the road to prosperity.
We urge the opposition to stop playing games with the economy and the lives of the people.
However, if they and their civil society allies forge ahead with the illegality, we are certain that state security agencies will be more prepared this time than in January.
We don’t think the hoodlums will be able to block roads, commandeer vehicles off the roads, to steal and burn property as they did four months ago.
Online Reporter