Violence mars Zimbabwe’s new hopes

So help me God. With those words, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa became Zimbabwe’s third president shortly before noon yesterday.

Thousands were in attendance at his inauguration at the Harare National Stadium. Sworn in by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe Luke Malaba, Mnangagwa swore “to be faithful to Zimbabwe and obey, uphold, and defend the constitution and all other laws of Zimbabwe”.

Yet even as Zimbabwe’s top military leaders pledged their allegiance to Mnangagwa, reports of violence allegedly perpetrated by the same army which installed Mnangagwa as president were already emerging, which begged the question: had Zimbabwe swapped Robert Mugabe for Robert Mugabe, The Reboot?

Senior researcher at the global organisation Human Rights Watch Dewa Mavhinga was a worried man yesterday.

“Since the military takeover on November 14, there has been no information from the military about who was arrested. The military does not have powers of arrest. That has to be done by the police, and now the violence is spreading with a number of people in hiding or on the run,” Mavhinga claimed.

“If you look at the high-profile targets such as the ministers, soldiers are going for the families and their domestic workers according to reports we have been receiving from relatives. [They ransacked] homes, destroying property, destroying vehicles. It’s really scary and this is happening since Thursday. It’s truly concerning from a human rights point of view.”

Mavhinga said he had been notified of soldiers ransacking staunch Mugabe supporter Jonathan Moyo’s house for the second time since the military stepped in to “target criminals around [Mugabe] who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country”.

He also shared a video of what he stated was a wheat crop on a farm of Mugabe’s daughter, Bona, going up in flames, while Reuters reported former finance minister Ignatius Chombo had been hospitalised following an alleged beating while in the army’s custody.

“One hopes for Mnangagwa to condemn the violence in no uncertain terms and ensure the police do their work. We will be watching him closely,” Mavhinga said.

Mnangagwa said he welcomed mutually gainful partnerships with international investors, “whose presence in our midst must be valued and secured”.

“The bottom line is an economy which is back on its feet,” Mnangagwa said and added the country’s liquidity problem would have to be tackled urgently.

“We will take definite steps to re-engage those nations who have had issues with us in the past,” Mnangagwa noted and promised to work towards settling Zimbabwe’s debts.

“I wish to be clear. All foreign investments will be safe in Zimbabwe.” He said elections would go ahead as scheduled in 2018.

– amandaw@citizen.co.za

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