YESTERDAY was June 27, and a colleague reminded Muck of the significance of the day in history. We are not talking about the birthday of Muck’s favourite Spiderman, Tobey Maguire, or that of JJ Abrams, one of Muck’s all-time favourite movie directors, but of events closer to home.

June 27 is indeed a significant day in history. Did you know that on the same day in 1871, Japan adopted the yen as the official monetary unit when the government suspended the exchange of clan notes issued by feudal lords that had circulated since the 16th century?

To keen students of history, the following day, June 28 1914 is etched in annals as the day that marked the start of events leading to the First World War, when Bosnian Serb student activist, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, along with his wife, Sophie while they were driving through Sarajevo.

But June 27. In Zimbabwe, it marked the culmination of a very brutal period in Zimbabwe’s politics, when the late former owner of this country, Robert Mugabe ran unopposed in an election run-off in 2008 after he had lost the first round of voting to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai, also late, pulled out of the run-off claiming over 200 of his supporters had been killed in State-sponsored violence. The security situation in the country was deteriorating rapidly, and thousands of people were displaced in villages and cities in the orgy of violence that preceded the run-off.

Muck remembers the mantra of the marauding State thugs that time as they brutalised Zimbabweans to keep the then octogenarian in power:

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June 27 VaMugabe muoffice!

The Machiavellian political chess master soldiered on and thought he had outmaneuvered everyone again until his military chiefs cancelled his lease as the owner of the country just over nine years later. He died a sad, bitter old man in distant Singapore two years later.

Muck mentions this because our current owner is another octogenarian, who thinks he is outmaneuvering everyone again to maintain his grip on power. Where our previous owner used a combination of charm, guile, and an iron fist, the current one makes up for his lack of charisma with brutal and cold threats amplified by his minions, especially one George Charamba, whose official title is deputy chief secretary to the President and Cabinet.

The threats are getting more frequent, and the language crass.

Charamba, or Dhonzamusoro as he calls himself on the ridiculously named social media behemoth X, shared a clip of his boss making more threats this week.

“I am fully aware that certain unruly elements, in collaboration with our detractors, have activated their perennial tendencies of seeking to disturb our security peace and prevailing tranquility environment (sic) in our country,” our owner went.

“They must be warned that my government will not broker (sic) any form of mischief under whatever pretext. The law will take its course without fear or favour. Hatidi mheswamukono, todzisvasvanga (We don’t want careless motormouths, we will beat them up).

The message is loud and clear, and has been consistent amid all the scandals dogging this administration: Shut up and let me and my cronies steal as much as possible. If you talk too much, we are coming for you.

Hungry war vets

That warning is of course directed to the pesky war veterans who want to keep their snouts in the feeding trough and are egging the owner to kick out his children, relatives, cronies and hangers-on, including the ubiquitous Wicknell Chivayo from the gravy train.

It is not going to happen of course It is also directed to the loudmouths in the civic society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations, who cannot just shut up about illicit financial flows out of the country in their millions daily in the form of illegal gold exports, State tenders being awarded to questionable characters such as Chivayo.

Then there are those in the ruining Zany Party that want their turn to eat and want the owner evicted as soon as possible, or at the very least that he does a very unZimbabwean thing and rides into the sunset when his constitutional term is up in 2028.

The familiar tales

The threats are real because the Zimbabwe Peace Project this week reported that it recorded 63 cases of state-sponsored torture on victims between 2019 and May this year. The authorities, as is standard in this country, are often reluctant to bring perpetrators to book.

ZPP national director Pelagia Kapuya’s remarks portray a familiar picture.

“Between 2019 and May 2024, ZPP recorded a total of 63 cases in which victims were tortured. If we go back to earlier periods, the numbers are much higher — 811 between 2008 and 2018 — with the highest number of 452 violations being recorded in 2008.

“In 2023 alone, we recorded 15 incidents of abduction, where most victims were tortured; some lost their lives and some are still living with the psychological effects of torture.

“Sadly, in most incidents, the perpetrators have not been held accountable and this is why we as the citizens of Zimbabwe, together with you the media must fight to end impunity, fight for the promotion of all human rights, and foster sustainable peace in Zimbabwe, which is our vision as ZPP.”

As in 2008, there is ample evidence that such violence is been perpetrated by a combination of state agencies including the army, police and intelligence alongside youth militias. 

Clearly, the perpetrators of State-sponsored violence are nothing to mess with, if Muck may paraphrase remarks attributed to that America mega music group, the Wu Tang Clan.

Going for the prince

Consider the experience of deputy Finance minister, David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa this week that left our hapless police baffled after two security breaches on separate days at the Young Turk’s Borrowdale home.

According to reports by ZimLive, on June 23 at around 10pm Mnangagwa was watching television with his wife, possibly watching the riveting Euro 24 match between Switzerland and Germany game when he heard unusual noises coming from the ceiling.

Eventually, and close to midnight, the police found a bag loaded with some of the deputy minister’s possessions including documents and two laptops and a MacBook iPad which appeared to have been deliberately damaged, all taken from his bedroom. A gun, plus 15 live cartridges was missing, together with US$500 cash which was in the bag.

The intruder went as far as cutting off the driver’s head rest in Mnangagwa’s parked Land Rover Defender.

On June 25, the intruder left six cartridges — three outside Mnangagwa’s main bedroom door and three on the lawn outside. The double-storey property on Camel Road is guarded by two police officers day and night.

The police have no clue as to who the interloper was, even after combing through the property, including with a canine unit, but there was no trace of the suspect or evidence of any forced entry.

One part of that story still gives Muck shivers: “Police are certain that the live cartridges inside the house were definitely not there when they attended the first incident”.

David Kudakwashe is no ordinary person, he is a deputy minister in the Zimbabwean government and a son of the country’s owner. And yet, the ‘ghost raider,’ as the police are said to bed calling the interloper, simply walked in, did his thing and left without a trace. Twice.

It’s the stuff of nightmares but Muck thinks is also a demonstration by the State to show that we are all vulnerable in one way or another, and that when the time comes, no one is coming to save you, king, prince or just Muck.