John Ndebele
Of late there has been disturbing allegations of torture on civilians by members of the security services. Equally disturbing has been allegations of harassment of vendors by the same security forces. The allegations are a cause for concern on two fronts. Firstly, the torturing of civilians can never be condoned and no person can ever defend that.
Secondly, such unsubstantiated allegations bring the image of the security forces into disrepute and they must be taken seriously. In view of the foregoing, a holistic and sober approach in dealing with the allegations is needed on the part of all concerned.
The law is fair and just, let all who have committed such heinous offences be brought to book.
Videos have been circulating of bogus soldiers torturing civilians. While investigations into these issues are underway, it is imperative that the public know that videos and pictures can be manipulated and staged using modern devices and software. So to say security services are responsible for the torturing of civilians without concrete evidence is rather vain and futile.
What is suspicious is that these supposed cases of torture are only appearing in social media and independent media yet the cases are never reported to the police.
It is an open secret that Zimbabwe’s detractors have intensified the regime change agenda through vilifying the security forces so that it appears as though they are committing human rights abuses on the citizenry.
These are the same people who lied that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and used that excuse to invade it. Recently a British lawmaker, Lord Palmer suggested that in light of the prevailing situation in Zimbabwe, they should consider re-colonising the country. This clearly shows that the regime change agenda is firmly oiled and in motion.
On the issue of the harassment of vendors, it must be known that the Army does not enforce by-laws and these are purely local authority issues. Those vendors who feel aggrieved must report their cases to relevant authorities. Let it also be known that in view of the recent debilitating protests, the security situation has not returned to normal and the security forces have justifiably maintained a presence in potential hotspots.
Furthermore, labour organizations like the Progressive Teachers’ Union have maintained threats of industrial action and this from security point of view calls for alertness. Meanwhile, negotiations between the government and these labour organizations are ongoing.
