THERE are those who might be tricked into believing this week’s so-called ‘shutdown’ was organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) and was a result of the fuel price hike announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday evening.
Accepting that would be the height of naivety.
The violence-riddled ‘stayaway’ is the brainchild of the MDC Alliance, supported by Western-backed NGOs.
As spelt out publicly by the MDC Alliance, to them, the general election results and the ConCourt ruling are inconsequential.
It is common cause that the MDC Alliance has been planning a national uprising in order to replace President Mnangagwa with their own party president Nelson Chamisa.
To the MDC Alliance, the result of the July 30 presidential election and the ConCourt ruling that confirmed President Mnangagwa’s victory are superseded by Chamisa’s claim to the presidency.
Regrettably, this bizarre claim is backed by Western powers, using NGOs as their foot soldiers.
Indeed, clandestine meetings have been reported in which MDC Alliance has joined hands with civil society and NGOs to plan a ‘stayaway’.
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) is known to have co-ordinated these anti-Government conspiracy meetings aimed at creating anarchy and bringing about regime change. Thus, the ‘stayaway’ was premeditated and not spontaneous.
And, of course, they were encouraged by some Western powers whose NGOs funded the project.
So the question of the MDC Alliance supporters going into the street to show their brand of protests was only a question of ‘when’.
Even if President Mnangagwa had announced a fuel price cut, the MDC Alliance was still going to launch their planned and well-funded demonstrations.
And the ‘shutdown’ was well-timed to soil the country’s name as the President embarked on a five-nation tour on his mission of engagement and re-engagement.
But, as always, a characteristic of MDC Alliance-initiated protests is the orgy of violence and destruction that accompany them.
This latest one lived true to expectations.
What we saw was pure terrorism.
True, demonstrations are enshrined in our Constitution as a right, but what is not accepted is the infringement of other people’s rights.
In this week’s case, MDC Alliance, with its regime change allies like ZCTU, CiZC, Tajamuka, This Flag and Citizen Manifesto, amongst others, had a field day.
It was lawlessness at its worst as they barricaded roads, looted shops, intimidated people to join the stayaway and were just a nuisance in the suburbs.
But surely, where in a democratic world has the MDC Alliance seen a President being changed by vandalising shops and tollgates and by burning fuel stations, police vehicles and private vehicles?
Zimbabwe is a democratic country in which general elections are held every five years.
This ‘Alice in Wonderland’ mentality by the MDC Alliance that sees them forcing the abdication of President Mnangagwa by rolling out violent protests is unfortunate.
They won’t succeed.
But this disgraceful behaviour, where life is lost, property destroyed and motorists robbed of their money as a fee-to-go-past barricades must not be repeated.
The onus is on the Government
This is imperative, even if at times it may require painful draconian measures.
Never again should peace loving Zimbabweans be subjected to another dosage of MDC Alliance’s version of a ‘peaceful’ demonstration.