Envoy Yes, But Credibility Matters
By Edward Makuzva
The response by South Africa government to send a special envoy to assess the Zimbabwean crisis is a step in the right direction but credibility of any envoy matters.
In an a wide interview, MDC Alliance Youth Assembly National Spokesperson Stephen Chuma said while we appreciate that President Cyril Ramaphosa has been captured by the current Zimbabwean crisis, it important that he must not treat the current crisis as an inter party dispute.
“What we need is a credible special envoy comprising of people with unquestionable mediatory credentials and moral probity.
“Of course when your house is on fire you do not necessarily choose who comes to douse the flames but it is equally important to be very cautious of some knavish characters who would add petrol to the blazing house”
, Chuma explained.
Chuma added in that regard we want to bring to the attention of Mr Ramaphosa the following:
1. Mr Sydney Mafumadi is a compromised character who is benefiting from the current corrupt system where he is a beneficiary of mining syndicates at the expense of suffering Zimbabwean citizens.
2. Miss Baleka Mbete is the very same character who hero worshipped Emmerson Mnangagwa by sanitising the coup hence her impartiality and integrity is a cause for concern.
3. ANC envoy alone belittles the Zimbabwean crisis as an inter party dispute.
4. We suggest we better have a credible SADC and/or AU member delegation that is not compromised.
Speaking on the same matter, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) said the country has had phases of human rights violations, mostly perpetrated by the State, and all these have not been resolved.
In other words, the country has a long-standing need for a comprehensive, integrated and inclusive process for well meaning healing.
ZPP added that the State has flagrantly violated the rights of some of the detained, like journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and political leader Jacob Ngarivhume, as well as human rights activist Godfrey Kurauone.
“After being transferred to Chikurubi maximum security prison, Chino’ono and Ngarivhume were denied confidential access to their lawyers as prescribed by the law.
“The two were also denied access to special food, which they need based on their dietary requirements.
“It is true that indeed, in recent weeks human rights actors, political activists and the general citizens have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, abductions and torture for merely expressing discontent with how government is running the affairs of the State”, ZPP explained.
Meanwhile, during the past four months, ZPP, through its wide, national network of human rights monitors, has recorded a worrying trend, where the State security agents, mainly the police and the soldiers, have been the major perpetrators of human rights violations.
During the month of July alone, ZPP recorded 48 cases of unlawful detention, 68 cases of assault and 168 cases of harassment and intimidation, 15 cases of abduction and torture, with the majority of these being attributable to state security agents.
The State security agents contributed to a combined 80.66 percent of all human rights violations this month . The state security agents have used the Covid-19 lockdown period to stifle basic human rights.
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