THE violence which erupted in Nyatsime Township last week, 42 years after our liberation struggle had dislodged Ian Smith together with his racist paraphernalia, should never be allowed to happen again.
With our independence on April 18 1980, it was time to turn our swords into ploughshares.
It is, however, inconceivable that some Zimbabweans are not ashamed to take back those swords only to use them for the wrong reasons.
And that is in order to please the very people these swords were once used to subdue.
These are none other than black puppets of our erstwhile colonisers.
These puppets wearing the CCC camouflage, a weird party without a constitution, structures or membership, are an utter disgrace
To crown it all, they support illegal sanctions against their own country and yearn for what they term the ‘good old days’ of Ian Douglas Smith.
So, on behalf of regime change kingpins in the West, they are fighting for Smith’s cause.
Their leader Nelson Chamisa has assured them that if he wins the next elections, just a phone call would see thousands of whites stampede back to Harare.
And the surest way to be seen by their handlers to be doing something is to find the feeblest of excuses to resort to violence.
How else can we explain last week’s orgy of violence which erupted in Nyatsime when CCC goons ran amok.
Structures of perceived ZANU PF supporters were left smouldering wrecks.
And the reason: …because an apparent CCC supporter has been murdered, therefore the culprit must be a ZANU PF supporter.
The logic is strange.
Conversely, it would have also meant if a ZANU PF cadre is murdered, the culprit must, therefore, be a CCC supporter.
In the Nyatsime case, it appears an alleged ex-boyfriend was responsible for this callous murder.
All the same, no political party has the right to take the law into its own hands to settle an alleged murder.
The police are there for that.
After all, the alleged culprit is already in custody and the courts will probably soon hear the motive of the crime.
Addressing mourners at the burial of national hero Major General (Retired) Sydney Bhebhe at the Heroes’ Acre in Harare on Monday, President Mnangagwa hit the nail on the head.
The CCC Nyatsime violence was meant to coincide with the Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda last week.
This, they hoped, would create the image of Zimbabwe as a violent State, thereby weakening its engagement and re-engagement efforts.
“The nation is now familiar with these shenanigans … , which are designed to tarnish the image of Zimbabwe especially ahead of international meetings,” the President said.
This is why the apparently ‘ubiquitous’ CCC vice-president Tendai Biti was reported to have been attacked by ZANU PF youths in Muzarabani and Murambinda at the same time.
By being overzealous to paint a horrid picture of their country for international consumption, the CCC often tends to expose its lies.
In his address, the President was emphatic that the violence recently witnessed in Nyatsime should never be repeated.
Culprits and organisers deserve long custodial sentences.
We should not be worried by the barking of their handlers, no matter how loud.
Liberation heroes like the late Major General (Rtd) Bhebhe and other departed heroes fought Smith and sacrificed their lives to achieve democracy.
That is why now we all have the right to vote.
And this is guaranteed every five years when the electorate chooses their preferred party and candidates.
Therefore, there should be no room for violence.