Govt blasted for preaching violence against demonstrations

The government has been lambasted for preaching violence and threatening anyone who would want to demonstrate against it.

Some analysts say the government should in fact prosecute and not to preach violence.

This follows after ZANU PF MP for Chirumhanzu-Zibagwe Prosper Machando warned youths that they will be met with violence (beaten up) if they dared protest against government.

Speaking at Thursday’s National Association of Youth Organisations’ (NAYO) Youth Indaba held in Harare, Machando said when youths have concerns against the government, they should not express it through demonstrations.

“If the government says demonstrations are not allowed, they are not allowed and if you demonstrate, you will be beaten up and arrested,” he said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Elder Mabhunu says it is wrong for the government to preach violence.

“It is bad for the government to threaten protesters with violence.

“Most of the time, even peaceful demonstrators have been met with state brutality,” he says.

Another analyst Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya says the government should not pride itself in misrule and mistreatment of citizens.

“They actually boast about their violent misrule, impunity,” he says.

In the country, the lockdown has led to a sharp increase in human rights violations by the state apparatus.

Recently, the alleged abduction and sexual abuse of the MDC Alliance female activists is one such case among many others.

Meanwhile, in this case, state newspapers, ZANU-PF politicians, and their supporters have dismissed these abductions as stage-managed, the government has allegedly ordered a full-scale investigation into the abductions, but no breakthrough as yet.

Initially, the police confirmed they had arrested the three for protesting against the government in violation of lockdown rules, but later denied when party colleagues and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights demanded access to them.

Critics are also blaming the government for lacking the political will to investigate human rights violations.

-Zwnews