Predisposing the Scourge of Political Violence
09 August 2017
Political violence in Zimbabwe has always been a cause for concern. It curses our
society. Very little effort or headway has been made to address this historical
problem. Because violence has deep roots in our society, it requires “a holistic and
concerted approach to address it”.1 Politically motivated violence needs to be
understood as something unacceptable and awful. It is an unlawful use of force or
violence against persons or property in order to coerce or intimidate a government or
the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives. 2 Therefore
violence of whatever form or magnitude must not be a signature of any society. It
cannot be something to look back in history and be proud of, but to be ashamed. For
instance, Zimbabwean pre-colonial era was characteristically violent, the colonial
conquest was terrible and liberation struggle bloody.3 In the post colonial
independent Zimbabwe, the cases of violence were supposed to be of the past. Yet
before the sound of the words of “reconciliation” by Robert Mugabe, the then Prime
Minister of the newly independent Zimbabwe stopped ringing in the ears of
Zimbabweans and the world, blood was letting in Midlands and Matabeleland
regions in what became the infamous Gukurahundi (1983-1987) in which about
twenty-two thousand (22 000) perished in the attrocities. They wanted a “final
solution” to ZAPU. Violence remained a weapon of choice in the political
contestations up to this point.4
While the country is stuck in violent deliberations, the world moves on. The cost of
violence is borne by the citizens. In the past months, reports of escalating cases of
politically motivated violence have been noted5. The frequency and intensity of
political violence increases whenever there are major political events, particularly
elections. As the nation draws towards the 2018 Harmonised Elections more cases
1
Sachikonye, L. (2011). When a State Turns on its Citizens: 60 Years of Institutionalised
Violence in Zimbabwe, African Books Collective.
2
www.thefreedictionary.com/Politically+motivated+violence
3
RAU (2011). Politically Motivated Violence against Women in Zimbabwe 2000-2010. A
review of the public domain literature.
https://akcampaign.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/politically-motivated-violence-in-zimbabwe2000-2010.pdf
5
See the Forum’s OVT reports at www.hrfourmzim.org