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Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu
POLITICAL violence results from political conflict. Violence is psychological. It is a mental stimulus response mechanism. The stimulus can be threats or induced fear for losing. Violence can be as a result of political conflict. The response becomes a psychomotor violent action. Some people have violent predisposition at the slightest pretext or are naturally pugnacious.
Others are sadistic meaning that they enjoy causing harm and to see another person suffering or in pain. Violence may come due to lack of intellectual or acquired intellectual deficiency syndrome to resolve conflict through intellectual discourse and failure to communicate, and persuade to gain support or to accept a different opinion.
Some people react violently to criticism. Criticism invokes physical and violent reaction as the critic is regarded as an enemy. Violence is used to intimidate someone or a number of people into submission or to punish them for refusing to support. This instead has the opposite effects.
An insecure political leader, aspiring or expiring leader may be an architect or schemer of violence and may pay others particularly the youths to carry out violent activities on perceived or real political opponents.
Youths or anyone must not accept to be used. President Mugabe has always condemned violence in unequivocal terms.
In addition to condemning violence, we need to remove the causes of violence and these are political conflicts by applying various conflict resolution strategies.
There is a wealth of information and theories on conflict resolution. Some of it is used by experts in peace negotiations. I would like to draw from sociology theorists and practitioners who understand sociology as a science of society.
A Professor Camuse in his book on social conflict indicates that a group of people tend to unite and fight together when faced by a common enemy or when they have a common shared vision or goal which is threatened.
When the threat is no more the groups or political organisations tend to separate and start conflict and violence from within themselves.
In our case, we united as the Patriotic Front to fight the colonial oppressors and to participate at the Geneva, Malta and Lancaster House conferences. When we defeated the enemy and were ready to return home for our Independence elections in 1980, we separated.
We separated PF-Zapu and Zanu-PF. Maybe this was because the common enemy had gone as the sociological theory states; we then got back into internal conflict after Independence.
The late Vice President Dr Joshua Nkomo and PF-Zapu together with President Mugabe’s Zanu-PF signed the Unity Accord in 1987, an example of home grown conflict resolution. We did not need foreign mediators or facilitators as we were two revolutionary parties with a similar ideology, concerned about peace, unity and development.
Another conflict resolution situation was the facilitation by former South African president Thabo Mbeki which led to the inclusive government that brought together the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC, Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC and Zanu-PF through Amendment Number 19 of the Old Constitution.
The Organ of National Healing and Reconciliation which was headed by the late Dr Landa John Nkomo, and ran with the slogan “Peace begins with me peace begins with you, Peace begins with all of us” was an approach towards conflict resolution to avoid violence.
In our present situation we need conflict resolution. In our Party organs there is need for constant conflict resolution through communication and dialogue. A smile to one’s enemy perceived or real can disarm and create a friendly relationship.
We should have a framework for conflict resolutions. We must have unity of purpose and must continue because the enemy is still here among us via outside influence through economic sanctions and opposition imperialist megaphones.
We need unity at all costs so as to defend our sovereignty and develop our nation through the implementation of the country’s economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Asset for Sustainable Socio Economic Transformation. People should fight positively and intellectually for economic development, empowerment and employment.
Online Reporter