FOR the first time in the history of our young democracy, it is really gratifying that nation Zimbabwe appears to be coalescing around the need for a peaceful electoral contest.
It is pleasing that our leaders constantly stress that absolute peace must prevail before, during and after next month’s elections.
It is even more gratifying when the message of peace comes in the form Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has just introduced.
Speaking to ruling party youths in Harare this week, Chiwenga said: “Elections are coming on August 23. The father will remain the father, mother, wife, grandfather, aunt or nephew. So why should we attack each other? Are we not Zimbabweans? Let’s unite the children of Munhumutapa.
“We are the most literate State in Africa. Why should we downgrade ourselves? What happened in the past remains in the past. We no longer want to see that in our country.”
While this, indeed, is a most welcome call for peace, we are, however, concerned that there are some, especially in the ruling Zanu PF party, who are not of the same mindset and are bent on inciting violence at every turn.
We have some people in the ruling party who are double-speak experts. On one hand, they extend peace while on the other they wield a knobkerry.
We also have many in the ruling party who have vowed that they will not accept defeat at the polls even if their “father, mother, wife, grandmother, aunt or nephew” win the ballot against them.
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Amid the deafening calls for peace, it boggles the mind that some like our very own President Emmerson Mnangagwa is threatening to jail Defence and Home Affairs ministers if people vote “wrongly”, for which we presume he meant if they did not vote for him and his party.
This language, coming from the head of State, is really confusing. Hence, we appeal that these calls for peace be genuinely sincere.
Chiwenga is right in pointing out that we are an educated people who need not behave like some stone age tribe. We are all one people and we should accept that any one of us with the capability should lead us.
As they say in the Shona vernacular: “Ushe madzoro, hugamuchidzanwa (Leadership is shared and generationally passed on)”, our elections need not be violent and none among us should not egostically cling to power.
