President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government seems to have launched a crackdown on the opposition MDC after MDC youth assembly secretary-general Gift Siziba was arrested on Wednesday.
Siziba was charged with incitement to commit public violence following a speech he made over the weekend where he warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa that he would also go the way of other African dictators who held power for long but ultimately fell.
Addressing a rally in Glen Norah in Saturday, Siziba said,
“Mnangagwa must know that dictatorship if you g
o around Africa, no dictator lasts forever. Not so long ago, the youths rose up in Egypt and (Hosni) Mubarak was hurried out of power. As Mubarak was still running, youths had entered Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and sent (Blaise) Campaore packing. In no time, the youths rose up in Libya, shit had hit the fan and in no time, youths rose up in Tunisia and (Zine El Abidine) Ben Ali left in a hurry. There’s no dictator who stays in power forever
[If Mnangagwa]…walks in the same smelly shoes of Robert Mugabe, us as the young people of Zimbabwe we are prepared to surrender ourselves before we surrender the democratic agenda.”
Emmerson Mnangagwa and the entire cabal ruling this country must be told that… us as young people we’re prepared to fight for democracy in our lifetime. Why are we fighting for democracy? As I’m speaking to you right now, people are dying in hospitals and rural areas. Ninety-five per cent of young people in Zimbabwe are jobless. Our hope is only in democracy and the MDC.
We want to warn Emmerson Mnangagwa that we are not scared of you chief, we’re coming for you and we will unleash a programme of demonstrations here in Zimbabwe until we usher in a democratic breakthrough led by Nelson Chamisa.
Siziba’s arrest comes barely 24 hours after the arrest of Job Wiwa Sikhala on treason charges.
