The recent shooting and killing of civilians by army has dented Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (ED)’s image as a reformed person different from his tutor, former president Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa came to power following an operation code named ‘Operation Restore Legacy’ under the operation Mugabe was accused of having ruined the good legacy which was the main item for the protracted war of liberation.
However, analysts believe, Mnangagwa who was viewed by many as the ‘biblical Moses’ who delivered the people from the hands of oppression has already shown that he is even worse than Mugabe, by presiding over the killing of civilians by his army, the presidential guard for that matter.
They say ED has just betrayed the trust the people of Zimbabwe had in him, by doing even worse acts in the short period he has been in power, killing civilians in the face of international cameras. To make matters worse, he seem clueless on how to address the issue.
Political commentator, Elder Mabhunu told zwnews.com that the legacy that ED tried to build since coming to power has been overshadowed by the recent acts of violence by the security forces against the citizens of Zimbabwe.
“When ED came to power he preached the gospel of peace, unity, and tolerance, all bundled up in the mantra that the new dispensation has positioned Zimbabwe to be open for business.
“He even expressed commitment that the country should re-join the CommonWealth, but behaving in the worst manner than that led to the country’s suspension from the CommonWealth, during Mugabe’s era,” he says.
Mabhunu adds that ED has even started destroying a legacy he has always been preaching, before laying the first brick of its foundation.
Meanwhile, Vanguard Africa Executive Director, Jeffrey Smith says political violence in Zimbabwe is not a random occurrence, but well calculated and tightly controlled at the centre under the president.
Commenting in the aftermath of the murder of civilians and the current persecutions of civilians by the soldiers, he has the following to say;
“With soldiers unleashing violence against ruling party opponents, the mask of respect for human rights and democratic rule that President Mnangagwa claimed is now clearly gone.”
