THE results of the recent by-elections in which the MDC Alliance was soundly trounced by the revolutionary ZANU PF should be indicative of the attitude of the Zimbabwean polity towards threats of violence and attempts at sabotaging economic reforms.

ZANU PF appears to be concentrating on bringing the economy back to normalcy after years of mismanagement.

This, of course, entails austerity and subsequent tightening of belts.

On the other hand, the MDC Alliance, still smarting from the mauling it got in the last general elections, seems to be more concerned about how it can get into power by hook or by crook.

This includes violent demonstrations as well as protests  and the destruction that accompany them.

This should not surprise us.

Even the founding president of the then MDC, the late Morgan Tsvangirai, is notorious for expressing his dream to remove then President  Robert Mugabe ‘violently’.

Naturally, he had his day in court for such utterances.

Ever since, it has become obvious, even without elementary tests, that violence is indeed part of the opposition party’s DNA.

We have already seen how Elton Mangoma and Trudy Stevenson were once severely bashed for daring to differ. 

Mind you, these were bona fide MDC members at that time.

There was even an attempt to burn to death their own Thokozani Khuphe at the funeral of Tsvangirai because of intra-party differences within the MDC Alliance.

Only last week we witnessed the despicable behaviour by alleged MDC Alliance supporters in London, who attacked Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Busi Moyo.

Surely that’s not the kind of uncouth behaviour we expect to be associated with our peace loving country on the international scene.

But this is not all.

We still have nightmarish memories of the violent protests in August last year and January this year.

The loss of life and property in these MDC Alliance-backed senseless demonstrations has already been adequately documented. 

Even at his recent rally in Bikita, MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, characteristically brought out his trump card. 

This he did by telling his audience to brace for crippling demonstrations.

This was at a time his vice-chairman Job Sikhala had claimed that his party would ‘overthrow’ the Government  before 2023, the year the country is due for its next general elections.

Of course going through Sikhala’s profile, he looks like he matches seamlessly with the characteristics of his party.

No wonder they gave him such a high ranking post. 

However, the recent by-elections must have sent a clear message to the MDC Alliance that the language of violence does not appeal to the Zimbabwean voters.

Not that Zimbabweans are cowardly.

For a good cause, they are prepared to put their lives on the line.

The war of liberation, which brought  an end to colonial rule and all the injustices it entailed was for Zimbabweans, irrespective of  age or sex.

The clear message today is that violence, led by imperialists’ surrogates to bring back Western imperialism, will not succeed in Zimbabwe.

In most cases, misleading reasons are sold to the public to persuade them  to go into the streets.

But the  adage that you can fool people some time but not all the time is quite familiar with Zimbabweans. 

People want to hear talk of development and of attempts being made to improve their lives.

So long as the MDC-Alliance continue preaching the gospel of violence, they are preparing for another mauling in 2023.

That’s when we will hear of queer ways of rigging like the mysterious flight of votes through ‘Nikuv’.