Nation hails inclusive Government commitment to deal with violence

deal with the scourge of violence, which is threatening to tear apart, the social fabric of the society.
Principals in the inclusive met on Monday for their routine meeting and resolved to convene a high-level meeting of their parties.
The meeting on Friday is landmark move to address rising inter-party tension rocking some parts of the country. However, analysts said there was need for the parties to walk the talk on preaching the gospel of peace.

“This is a noble cause that all the political parties have decided to speak against violence,” said political science lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, Dr Charity Manyeruke.
“Parties have to be concerned when they see this abnormality taking place in our country because it’s un-Zimbabwean.
“Conflicts can never be resolved through violence and it is clear that this violence is not coming from outside but from within our country. These people fighting are from the same churches, they share

a lot in common but they are fighting for political reasons.
“The person who can stop this is not Sadc, the African Union or the United Nations. This can only be stopped by political parties here.”

An international relations lecturer at Midlands State University who spoke on condition of anonymity said there was need for the parties to practice what they preach.
“Politically motivated violence will only end in Zimbabwe when politicians become sincere because at the moment they are not sincere at all,” he said.

“The problem is they only say they don’t want violence when they are addressing rallies but behind closed doors they will be preaching violence.
“The code of conduct should make it a serious criminal offence for instigating violence regardless of what position the instigator holds.”

Mr Maxwell Munemo of Kambuzuma said: “We have to know as Zimbabweans that when we are beating another Zimbabwean we are doing foreigners a favour.
“We have to accept that we may differ on political opinions but we are one people and there is no reason whatsoever for us to engage in violence. We need to be accommodative of each other.”

Ms Tracy Munengami of Hatcliffe said the meeting on Friday should clarify the police’s role in dealing with violence. She said because of polarisation in the country the work of the police had been compromised.

Ms Munengami blamed politicians for instructing their supporters to attack each other.
“No one will just leave their house with the intention of attacking a fellow Zimbabwean. This is the work of the politicians who want people to injure or kill each other for their benefit.

“Vice President (Joice) Mujuru once said if you kill someone the curse would affect the murderer and not the sender.

“People should heed her call because we have never heard of someone who went mad because he had sent someone to kill another person but it is always the one who actually commits the murder who is affected,” she said.

There were violent clashes in Chitungwiza on Sunday between MDC-T and Zanu-PF youths.
Two weeks ago, youths from the two parties clashed in Hatcliffe.