Mnangagwa’s vicious crackdown alarms world
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vicious crackdown against his opponents ahead of the 44th Southern African Development Community (Sadc) summit to be held in Harare has raised alarm across the world with growing calls for his government to respect human rights.
Mnangagwa’s government says it has credible intelligence showing that opposition and civil society activists are planning to hold protests to disrupt the summit.
Over 100 activists are now behind bars after police intensified arrests last week with reports that four activists that were seized from a plane at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport were severely tortured.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) on Friday joined the chorus of condemnations of Mnangagwa’s government and called on Sadc leaders not to fold their hands about the Zimbabwe situation.
“The WCC condemns in strongest terms all forms of torture and clampdown on civil society and calls on President Mnangagwa to address these violations that undermine the constitution of Zimbabwe and international human rights law, and release the detained human rights activists,” the global Christian body’s general secretary Jerry Pillay said in a statement.
“The WCC seeks to amplify the recent statement by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches at its 47th General Assembly, regarding the politically fragile and polarised environment and its call to the nation to recommit to constitutionalism and the rule of law.
“The WCC urges Sadc to provide leadership in addressing outstanding governance grievances that threaten the stability of Zimbabwe and the region.
“The WCCC prays for peace, the freedom of speech and the upholding of human rights and dignity in Zimbabwe.”
Mary Lawlor, the a United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights defenders, condemned the alleged torture of Vusumuzi Moyo, Namatai Kwekweza, Samuel Gwenzi and Robson Chere after their arrest at the airport.
“From what I understand, they were taken off a flight, held incommunicado for a number of hours before being charged with disorderly conduct as a result of their participation in a peaceful protest calling for the release of opposition political figures," Lawlor told VOA.
"I unreservedly call for the immediate release of all four detained activists and an investigation into the allegations of maltreatment to which they were subjected to while in custody.”
Nick Mangwana, the government spokesperson, told The Standard in an interview yesterday that the government was unfazed by the criticism as it was abiding by the constitution.
“We are a law-abiding government. "We are a stickler to our constitution provisions, whatever the constitution prescribes is what we do,” Mangwana said.
“So the accusations, whoever accuses us of anything other than abiding by the constitution is speaking out of turn and they do not know what they are talking about.”
Mnangagwa on Friday told an event in Chirumanzu that he would “swallow” protestors “excessively”.
“We have a few errant cadres in this country,” he said. “I am watching you, I will swallow you, excessively if you misbehave. I will swallow you.”
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance party, which is in government and national unity with the ANC said it was advocating for the change of the Sadc summit venue as rights abuses intensified in Zimbabwe.
“Allowing the summit to proceed under the current circumstances will not only endorse Zanu PF’s flagrant abuse of international law but further undermine the principles upon which Sadc was established,” the DA said in a statement.
The European Union, United Kingdom and United States’ embassies, among others, have also expressed concern about the crackdown.