Sunday Independent (SA)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In the course of this week, thousands of poor Zimbabweans living in Harare, Bulawayo and other urban centres have had their lives destroyed by an increasingly vicious, brutal and paranoid regime.
On the pretext of a “clean-up”, the regime’s police and army have systematically gone through our cities and towns arresting street vendors, confiscating their goods and destroying the homes of poor people.
While there is no doubt that some of these roadside shops and shacks are an eyesore and unhygienic, and while there is no doubt that virtually all are strictly speaking “illegal”, they have to be seen in the context of the fastest shrinking economy in the world, which in turn is characterised by 80 percent unemployment and rampant inflation.
The state of the economy is a direct result of the insane policies implemented by the Mugabe regime since 1997, when it first decided to send troops to protect its leaders’ interests in the Congo.
The chaotic land invasions orchestrated by the regime from 2000 to secure its grip on power have dealt a near death blow to the economy. The regime’s excessive spending on protecting itself and maintaining the elite’s luxurious lifestyle has resulted in greatly reduced spending on health, housing and education.
The vast majority of the people affected by this callous campaign are victims of these policies. Through no fault of their own they have been driven out of the formal sector and, in order to survive, have had to try to earn an honest living by street vending.
Because the regime has spent billions on a huge military and a bloated, inefficient and corrupt cabinet, rather than on housing, hundreds of thousands have been forced to build shacks so that they have a roof above their heads.
I have no doubt that this pogrom will dramatically increase the number of deaths of poor Zimbabweans afflicted by the deadly combination of Aids, no access to drugs and malnutrition. The sudden removal of a source of income and a warm bed will condemn many to death in the coming weeks and months.
The truth is that it is Mugabe’s regime that is primarily responsible for massive corruption, which is not only some of the worst type of criminal activity but has also destroyed the economy and forced these poor Zimbabweans into penury.
The truth is also that this exercise has very little to do with a genuine desire to improve the lives of Zimbabweans. It has everything to do with a campaign of retribution against people who are, correctly, perceived to oppose the regime. It has everything to do with their fear that these same people will rise up in revolt against a regime that has been responsible for the destruction of the lives, hopes and dreams of millions of Zimbabweans. It has everything to do with instilling fear in the hearts of these people before they rise up.
We, for our part, will do everything possible to protect those affected by the depredations of this regime. We will do all in our power to expose the extent of the devastation, to use the courts to suspend these immoral actions and to mobilise communities to oppose the regime lawfully, peacefully and non-violently.
Now is the time for the international community to intensify pressure on this regime to respect basic human rights, to restore the rule of law in a just and humane manner and to respect the democratic will of the electorate through the holding of free and fair elections that comply with international electoral standards.
David Coltart MP
Shadow Justice Minister
Zimbabwe