BY DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
Zimbabwe has been accused of kidnapping its citizens for no reason. Two stories of doctor Mugombeyi and the three MDC infamous musketeers are to be presented ahead of the President’s visit to Scotland. The story that unfolded in Harare few years back seemed tailor-made to stare and brew some ugly scenes in Zimbabwe. During a plan for a labour dispute and a demonstration by medical doctors in Zimbabwe Dr Peter Magombeyi warned his colleagues about how easier it could be used to target their families and themselves. Then he sent up a message to his colleagues that there are men who promised to kidnap him.
Few days later a story about an a doctor was supposedly kidnapped and held in an unknown place. Then demonstrations were called out to allegedly force the kidnappers to release the Dr Magombeyi.
After selling their stories to the international press and carrying on demonstrations which were actually meant for the foreign press not for anyone else, the good Dr appeared in Nyabira in a village fit and alive. He phoned the secretary general of the Drs association. The foreign press was assembled and the story went viral. The questions were not answered. Why would a kidnapper kidnap you and set you free with your phone. Why was your phone charged through out the days you were kidnapped.
Fake kidnapping stories are meant to vilify the good name of Zimbabwe and to demonise the wonderful work being done by our police.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police play a key role in maintaining law and order and safeguarding the security of the nation and its citizens. To enable them to discharge their constitutional mandate, they are entrusted with powers such as the power to arrest, detain, search, and to use force. When the police apply the power granted them by the constitution some people will accuse the, police officers of abusing these powers with serious consequences on the image and operations of the organisation. People always misrepresent the facts in order to maximise their blow on the police name. The opposition media is often inundated with news on unlawful arrests, arbitrary search and seizure, unlawful methods of investigations, and the excessive use of force. It is clear that these reports are meant to influence the foreign powers to act on Zimbabwe and its security forces. It is so sad that these false accusations on our police service come at a price. It is true that some officers are rogue and their actions reveal wanton violation of human rights, police brutality, and the abuse of power which have resulted in both social and economic costs to the Police service and government of Zimbabwe through Civil suits. These are quiet isolated events which are magnified by the social media and some irresponsible reporters who are bent on soiling the name of the country and angling people against the police.
The Zimbabwean Republic Police have mechanism and training which makes it easy to deal with the errant officers.
The work and aim of the Zimbabwe Republic Police is summarised in the mission statement which is:
To effectively preserve the internal security of Zimbabwe,protect and secure the lives and property of the people,maintain law and order,enforce the law without fear or favour through entrenching dynamic crime prevention, investigation and detection practices while upholding the Constitution.
Contrary to the negative reports which are given to the United Nations and European Union by our detractors the Zimbabwean Republic Police are a very democratic Morden police service. The police force believe in Democratic policing.
The mechanisms established by the constitution to protect people’s rights, establish and maintain order and guarantee stability and security are the aims of the Zimbabwean Republic Police. An important actor in the security sector is the police, whose functions, as a minimum, are:
” Prevention and detection of crime
” Maintenance of public order
” Provision of assistance to the public
In order to carry out these functions, the police have certain powers, namely the power to arrest and detain and the power to use force. It is precisely this monopoly on the use of force and the power to arrest and detain that place the police in a unique and sensitive position within the democratic State, so that adequate control mechanisms are required to ensure that these powers are consistently used in the public interest.Like any other public service, the police must operate with impartiality.
Because of their frontline role the police are always the target of any circumstance and always are the punch bag of democratic values.
For any one to measure the democratic values of a nation he looks at the reaction of the police to some behaviours. Zimbabwe Republic Police has graduated to be a patient tolerant and reasonable security entity.
It has been used as a punch bag by political parties who believe that they own the police.
Bearing in mind that the Police are the first point of call by all the ZRP has introduced professional development programmes in districts and provinces and the Staff Colleges within the force.
The dilemma of a policeman is that the thief runs to the police for protection and the police are accused for protecting the human life even though it belongs to the thief. The complainant rushes to the police to complain and the police are under fire for being heavy handed should they arrest the offender. The delicacy of the Police work is beyond comprehension but the ZRP has swum through the mucky waters of confusion and excelled in keeping with their mandate.
The ZRP are trained to uphold the rule of law and administration of justice in Zimbabwe and to prevent police impunity for human rights violations. Zimbabwe Republic Police are not a partisan force.
Since the new dispensation the ZRP has consistently shown fairness in the face of the law, lawyers and respect of the judicial authorities. Far-reaching reforms have been necessitated to align Zimbabwe’s policing operations with the constitution and with regional and international human rights standards.
The police have respected detainees’ basic rights, such as access to their lawyers, family members, medical personnel and courts. There has been credible applauding of the absence of allegations of police torture, use of excessive force, ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and obstruction of legal representatives. Unlike before the new dispensation the Police force has become very user friendly with very educated professional officers manning all stations.
The police are repeatedly characterised as tormentors of government critics and their lawyers. Biased reporting on policing further polarises society and heightens insecurity and political tensions.
Zimbabwe Republic Police complies with the international Police Standards.
No Zimbabwean law enforcement official inflicts,instigate or tolerate any act of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
In the new dispensation the Zimbabwean Law enforcement officials ensure the full protection of the health of persons in their custody and, in particular, they take immediate action to secure medical attention whenever required.
Despite the sterling job being done by the ZRP Zimbabwe has seen a series of faked abductions and false abduction claims. The hoaxes of this sort are fascinating “finding out what motivates one person to deceive another. In the case of faked abductions, often the “victim” does it for sympathy or attention; other times the story is given to cover up for illegal or embarrassing behavior. There is a strong plot against the Zimbabwean government and the opposition politicians doctors who took an oath of upholding our constitution have been used for political gains.
The actions of these politicians is deeply depressing and flabbergasting.
The fact that there is a United Nations conference this week and the behaviour of some of these politicians its not a coincidence. There is a calculated move by the Opposition to embarrass Zimbabwe.
It is sad that the barbaric act coincides with the visit to Zimbabwe of United Nations Special Rapporteur, Mr Clement Nyaletsossi Voule in October 2021 and the President’s historic visit to Scotland. This then gives a question whether this is a coincidence or a pre planned sabotage by the third force taking their lies to their advantage. The behavior of the MDC accused persons of defaulting on their court dates suggests a lot of under hand control.
Critically, the alleged kidnapping also comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly slated for New York which President Mnangagwa addressed. Already demonstrations are planned to take place in the UK to embarrass Mnangagwa.
This has raised suspicion among neutral observers that the alleged kidnap reports are well-timed to tarnish the country’s image.
So the abductions have become imaginations, which are mainly coming to prominence to coincide with high level visitations to the country by prominent dignitaries and also at a time when international forums are being convened especially the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York, and in Scotland end of October.
The law enforcement agents must relentlessly pursue the malcontents involved in these vulgar deeds by the third force powering our opposition and its affiliates thereof.
The faked abductions are desperate bid to soil the reputation of Government and the ruling party. The reasons behind this is very disturbing and unfortunate.
The profanity of all this is the fact that unsuspecting Zimbabweans are used to propel an agenda which is not in their interest. The attention which was given to this futile effort to demonise Zimbabwe shows that Zimbabwe still attracts negative attention brewed by our own people.
The true value of a product is known by the manufacturer. Your true value is known by your Maker. If the ZRP is told by the world that it is dictatorial it’s doesn’t need to go to the mirror to confirm. No matter how much the enemies might want to convince a lion that she is a hyena, the lion should never go to the mirror to check the truth of such statements. The lion remains the king of the jungle. When subjected to the fire, gold stands the heat whilst every other base metal burns. The gold doesn’t need to argue that it’s not brass or coal.
The world won’t see the true value in our Police force because they have an agenda to destroy the gains of Zimbabwe’s independence.
It is in this context that we draw attention to the manifold legal and institutional obstacles and problems which continue to face local, regional and international organisations and individuals, as well as governments, concerned about fake torture stories in Zimbabwe and the need for justice and reparations Zimbabwe against those who peddle lies for their own benefit.
Torture has been practiced in Zimbabwe for decades, before independence in 1980, and has vanished from our police stations in Zimbabwe, and does the culture of impunity for perpetrators.
despite the human rights improvement the lies about the ZRP’s heavy hand on civil society continues unabated, manifested in the vilification of human rights defenders by an increasingly partisan media.
A democratic society must ask the question, “how efficient do we want police to be?” Democratic societies have traditionally been willing to sacrifice a degree of order for increased liberty.
Democratic societies experience a continual tension between the desire for order and the desire for liberty. Both are essential. Democratic policing seeks to avoid the extremes of either anarchy or repression.
In an open democratic society which respects the dignity of the individual and values voluntary and consensual behavior and the non-violent resolution of conflicts, police are an important partner to achieve peace and tranquility. The police are usually charged with using undemocratic means to obtain democratic ends. Police offer an ethical and moral paradox that will forever make democratic citizens uncomfortable but safe and secure.
Restrictions on police work are not a sufficient guarantee of freedom. Taken too far, they may even guarantee its opposite, as private interests reign unchecked and/or citizens take the law into their own hands. It should be noted that a police force must of necessity, not be too strong for the liberties of its own people, nor too weak to maintain its own existence. There is a paradox in the fact that a democratic society needs protection both by police and from police. On a broader scale, this is one of the major challenges of democratic government. In the new dispensation the ZRP under Police Commissioner General Matanga is able to control the governed and also control itself.
Zimbabwe Republic Police Service is an important arm of the government, charged with the responsibility of protecting the lives and property of people, criminal investigations, and maintaining law and order. Of all governmental functions, the policing function is arguably the most visible and the most immediate, and the most intimately involved function with the well-being of individuals in communities Regardless of the situations in which the police find themselves in, it is their duty to execute their powers and functions in accordance with the law, and with due respect to fundamental human rights.
The ZRP as the strong arm of the State reflects their authorization to enforce laws and policies defined by State institutions. ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE is as a service to the public, with the emphasis on the requirement for the police to be responsive to the people’s needs, given that they are carrying out their functions on the people’s behalf. However, it may be difficult to define the people and their needs because in many countries, different social groups may have different expectations about how the police should respond to certain situations.
To enable impartiality, including political impartiality, and non-arbitrary professional decision-making—in particular with regard to the use of police powers—the police use independent professional judgement when responding to particular situations.
So the complaints forwarded ahead of the President’s visit to Scotland of women abuse and abductions are self serving. The Zimbabwean Republic Police is very professional and upholds the law without favour.
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