Chronicle Editor
Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
THE swift response by the security forces in accounting for two men who shot and killed a soldier and critically injuring another in Chivhu on Saturday should not only be commended but also serve as a sound warning that Zimbabwe will not tolerate any criminal conduct.
After shooting the soldiers at the Chicken Inn Police Base, the two assailants disarmed them and made off with the military men’s rifles and four magazines with 30 bullets each.
After the shooting, a combined team from the police and army immediately mounted a large-scale operation in and around Chivhu to bring the criminals to book.
The two men were shot and killed on Sunday by security forces in a dramatic shootout when the criminals were cornered at Waterbury Farm, Ward 8 Chivhu, off Chivhu-Gutu Road.
Instead of yielding to arrest, the two criminals opened fire at the security forces resulting in an exchange of fire where a soldier who was part of the security team was shot and seriously injured on the leg.
Important to note is that the criminals were quickly accounted for partly due to the co-operation by members of the public in the provision of information that led to the location of the two men.
“The security service applauds the public for swiftly supplying information and co-operation with the investigation teams, leading to the location of the two robbers,” said national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi in a statement on Sunday.
“The security services reiterate that criminal elements who want to cause alarm and disturb the peace currently existing in the country will be decisively dealt with in terms of the country’s laws.”
By co-operating with the security services in apprehending the two criminals, Zimbabweans have shown their love of peace and tranquillity, a lesson to all those who want to bring chaos into the country.
Unrestricted by their hypocrisy, the opposition has, with total disregard to the circumstances around the shooting of the two criminals, made unsubstantiated claims of extra-judicial killings by the security forces.
MDC-Alliance spokesperson Ms Fadzayi Mahere posted on Twitter saying:
“Who decided that these citizens killed the soldier? By what process? What happened to arresting, investigating & prosecuting? These extra-judicial killings point to a breakdown of our social structure. This illegality, violence & militarisation of civilian spaces must end.”
Ironically, they were all mum after the acts of terror by the two on Saturday to condemn the murder in cold blood of a member of the security services while his colleague was critically wounded.
They also ignored the fact that the security forces reacted to the two men who were firing at them in a bid to resist arrest.
The two had shed blood already, they had killed a soldier and seriously wounded another and they did not stop there. They disarmed the members of the security forces and took away magazines.
How the opposition expected the security services to wave handcuffs at the face of flying bullets from the two criminals is a logic only understood by the crazy.
Perhaps capturing the preposterous stance by the opposition, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana posted a picture of one of the injured soldiers on Twitter with the caption:
“The person in the picture is Corporal S. Chiunye whose leg was shattered by a bullet from the 2 insurgents who were outgunned by our security forces. And some political opportunistic bleeding heart believes that the police should have sent an invite and rose petals for the thugs!”
Earlier he had tweeted, “So the insurgents who had taken cover in the bush acting like some wannabe guerrillas were supposed to be invited to areas of civilians first so “there could be witnesses”? Imiwee, what kind of world do some people live in? How ludicrous can one be?”
It must be known that the world over, no country tolerates any criminal acts, let alone the targeting of members of the security services as they discharge their constitutional duties.
Speaking after visiting the two injured soldiers in Harare on Sunday, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga said it was good that the criminals had been accounted for.
“It is a great lesson to everyone in the country that such acts should not be done,” he said.
“Anyone daring to do such evil acts would be accounted for.”
Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, said Zimbabwe’s security forces remain prepared to protect citizens and the country’s territorial integrity.
Speaking after a Provincial Co-ordinating Committee extraordinary meeting in Mutare on the same day Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said: “Because of the bravery of our soldiers and police, they were able to neutralise the assailants and kill the two.
“This should serve as a warning to criminals who try to tamper with our security forces that they will be met with equal force. Our soldiers and police are giving assurance to the nation that they will always protect our people and protect our territorial integrity.
“We are pleased that our police and members of the ZNA, working on a tip-off from the public, managed to track down the assailants to near Gutu. In trying to disarm the two, who were now armed with not only a pistol, but also two of our rifles, another soldier was injured when they opened fire. We understand that he is in a stable condition.”
Online Reporter