All Zimbabweans should shun violence

MANY people in Zimbabwe are dying today, are victims of political violence and wanto killing by Zanu PF and the MDC supporters. There is no excuse for such barbaric acts to take place in our society. Barely a few weeks ago we were taking pride in declaring peaceful elections,  we are now sliding into a serious crisis, both political and humanitarian.

Dr Simba Makoni has urged us not to die for anyone. No one is worth dying for, not even himself, he says.

It is important to realise that all these seeds of hate and division that we are sowing today will one day germinate. We will not be so lucky next time as entire villages, wards or constituencies are wiped off by violence.

Zimbabweans should realise that, as we chart the way forward, for ourselves and future generations, we should remember our humanity, our civility, our responsibilities.

We are responsible for the welfare of our future generations and those generations will judge us on the basis of the work we do today and how well we did it. What will we tell these generations? That we were murderers and butchers? That we killed our own people to safeguard a political affiliation or ideology.

Violence is regressive, whatever the reason, or the pretext. Violence destroys that which it purports to defend and violence is a sign of a sickness, individually and in society. Unless that sickness is cured violence will continue. All perpetrators of violence should be brought to book, unreservedly.

We cannot allow this sickness in society to persist. Zimbabwe is a peaceful country and it should remain so. For a country that boasts over 90 per cent adult literacy, what we are beginning to see is a shame.

I urge all political leaders, ruling or opposition to think seriously about the implications of violence. We cannot kill our kith and kin in the name of politics. We should all take charge of that which we fought for: our peace and dignity and never negate those principles.

We should also remember that the age of impunity is over. Perpetrators will be brought to book and the more responsible we are today, the more our lives in the future will be less complicated and less painful.

Sections of the media, the armed forces, the police, the citizenry and the civil society have a civic obligation to shun violence and promote free, honest, and fearless speech. They should promote a healthy exchange of ideas without name calling or victimisation. Only through this will we be able to say, “We are proud to be Zimbabweans.”

Greta Mutengani

Spanish Town – Jamaica