
Zimbabwe: Local EU Statement on the right to peaceful demonstrations (30.08.2016)


“After freezing public sector employment, Zimbabwe’s government now plans to cut about half the jobs in the agriculture department. The government has recently been struggling to pay public service wages, which make up the bulk of its revenue” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) is cognisant of the demonstrations, protests and ongoing unrest in the country. As a country, Zimbabwe is founded on the principles of the supremacy of the Constitution, fundamental human rights and freedoms, and recognition of the inherent dignity and worth of each human being. The Constitution guarantees under section 59 that every person has the right to demonstrate and to present petitions, but these rights must be exercised peacefully, and the demonstrators should not seek to harm anyone or destroy or loot property.
In terms of section 219 of the Constitution, the Police have a duty to protect and secure the lives and property of the people, uphold the Constitution of Zimbabwe, and enforce the law without fear or favour. It is noted with regret that the police did violate the fundamental rights of the people as evidenced by the facts gathered on the ground. Security concerns should not be used as an excuse to harass demonstrators or non-demonstrators, which undermines the fundamental principles granted by our Constitution and international law. Citizens should enjoy police protection and not brutality. Police have a duty to facilitate the conduct of undisturbed peaceful demonstrations and petitions. The ZHRC is, therefore, extremely concerned about the recent violent conduct of the ZRP.
The ZHRC has received complaints on allegations of Police brutality and our ongoing investigations have revealed unbecoming and violent conduct on the part of the Police. This has led to unfortunate physical and emotional injuries to some innocent persons including minors. This is regrettable and we call upon the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of such human rights violations are prosecuted. To that end the ZHRC encourages members of the public who may have suffered human rights violations to come forward and lodge formal complaints with the Commission.
The ZHRC is also concerned by the indiscriminate teargassing of centers occupied by people some of whom may not be involved in the demonstration. This should stop and we call for due diligence and care to ensure that the rights and freedoms of innocent citizens are respected and protected.
The ZHRC abhors violence in any form. The Commission, therefore, calls upon all citizens who decide to demonstrate to do so within the confines of the law and never with violence. As Zimbabweans, we all have rights and duties that we need to exercise peacefully at all times.
In the case of violent protests or demonstrations, the right to personal liberty, rights of arrested and detained persons and freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right to a fair trial and rights of accused persons should be upheld at all times.
The ZHRC calls for an immediate end to violence, threats and intimidation by all perpetrators. We urge all Zimbabweans to exercise restraint and self-control and to remain calm. We urge the ZRP and respective arms of the Executive to ensure that citizens are permitted to demonstrate peacefully and utilise constructive dialogue to address genuine concerns.

The truth is in the actions of any ruling regime. The reality of their actions speaks of how they respect their citizens and the government institutions. After yesterday the legacy of the former political party who liberated the nation is now totally lost.
The President and the Executive has been lost for a long time. He just hasn’t known it himself. He is like a bulldog trying out every move and shouting at every by passer. Even when he is old and whiny he still continues and brawls with every candidate that trespasses his gate.
The dire state is not just the economy, but the fragile state between the population, the lengthy disregard of the civil servants and the public officials. As you have VP who uses government funds on eating lavishly on a hotel instead of accountable actions. As well, you have government officials praising the executive and saying his rule is biblical. While the public who demonstrate against him is evil; the Police answer with tear-gas and violence. Not contempt of public voices of discontent. The allowed demonstrations are the ones connected to Zanu-PF, the Youth burning the flag and destroying the MDC-T offices in Harare.
The double standard as the Zanu-PF elite eats and get fat, while the drought of funds and import of needed equipment happens. The debt and sanctions together with the drop of trust between international community and the Zimbabwean government; the Zanu-PF government who could just been run by Ian Smith, they did the say reasoning against the citizens, only they we’re liberators who we’re detained. Now it is citizens and human rights activist who are detained.
Every time some demonstrations happens it is supported by the West and the Westerners fault. Not that it’s the men who has made the situation dire, the men behind police officers and army who detains without impunity or the men who thief the government funds. No, it is the British, the French or lucky the American. It cannot be Mugabe and Gucci Mugabe, no it is somebody else. Just waiting for Acie Lumumba to proclaim his passion for development and say that he still has faith in Zanu-PF without consideration to the draconian state that is just right there.

#ThisFlag is a loose movement and with inspiring leaders who just shows they heart and wish to garn change and possible leadership who cares about the citizens and not the newest Mercedes SUV. That is the capacity of governance right now. The Government tried to put extra tax on the imported goods as a special VAT as the sanctioned imports where less and less become of the weak economy and value of the currency. Even the issues with downgraded levels of US Dollars lead to ATMs pouring out South African Rand that even marginalized more people. This proves the little value of the citizens.
The lack of on-time pay for soldiers, nurses, teachers and civil servants prove the disgruntled forces while the Zanu-PF continues to live like kings and queens. The people are even tagging the streets named after Robert Mugabe and also taking down the signs with his name. As they demonstrate and are brutally shut down. Today, the court of Harare are even working on fencing the area as another protester are awaiting trail tomorrow and the Government have no other outcome than shutting down. They do not want to see the public garn around the Court in massive numbers as last time when they had to release Pastor Evan Mawarire, he is the one man who opposed and showed them how to peacefully question the Zanu-PF rule without fear of losing his position and freedom.
Now that is up and concerned citizens watch, as the turns and extensive nature of ZANU-PF continues. As their Youth League are acting as hooligans without any repercussion from the Police, while the peaceful demonstrators from public disregard of Zanu-PF violently get silenced. The proof of the fall of grace, the lost nature of the ones respected party. The one party and the one leader who has gone from being the hope and liberator; and with time he has turned himself from liberator to villain of decades of decadence and wealth forgot why he was in bush. Mugabe has lost his ways in wealth and riches! While his people are asking for handouts and can’t even get justice.

Because of the Social Media uprising of late the Zimbabwean Parliament even have scheduled a new Cyber Crime law able to make prosecutions of people who starting demonstrations and questioning the Zanu-PF online. The #ThisFlag #Tajamuka #NoBondnotes and so on are just honest citizens tired of being used by ruling regime for donor aid and bargain-chips for funds to develop the nation. They want hope and future where all citizens can be involved and have the sense of making their life and work without fear of the police or the ruling regime silencing them with violence or oppressive behaviour while they ride in luxurious cars and have mansions in Harare. While the average man and woman are struggling to get ends to meet. That is not a just society and the Zanu-PF should know it as the fellow loyalist have taken land, businesses and imports for themselves. There is a fatigue of justice between the population and the Zanu-PF elite. That is why the demonstrations are happen so frequent and why the Zanu-PF elite and the Executive is LOST.
The Robert Mugabe of the Past, the man who conquered the Ian Smith Regime and European sponsored dictatorship from the United Kingdom. Now it is sponsored dictatorship under Robert Mugabe. Peace.

Today is a day where I have questions and they are big because when you crunch the numbers for the last three fiscal years and estimated debt ratio it’s start to be worrying. It isn’t a sweet and tender way of asking. I know, but the numbers and the citizens will have to repay the amounts of borrowed cash at one point. As the Japanese will not deliver second-hand vehicles to the hospitals forever like they did during either this or last week in Kenya; Kenyan Government shouldn’t base their budget on handouts, but on tax-monies. The budget now is worrying as the levels of budget that are borrowed as it is going directly to portfolios that are day-to-day business instead of giant infrastructure development.
Why do I say that? Because each year you can question the ratio between the debt and the development projects; like in 2013/2014 the debt we’re 330bn, but the development 224bn. That is a 100bn used on day-to-day instead of building roads to Ethiopia or planning the Standard Gauge Railway. Take look!
In the 2013/2014:
At the fiscal year ending the 25th July 2014 the budget debt we’re 330,440,692,719.35. That means there 330bn debt, which we’re 25.8% of the National Revenue. National Government budget spent on development we’re 224,355,607,699.00 or 224bn.
In the 2014/2015:
At the fiscal year ending 24th July of 2015 the budget debt we’re 400,249,353,175.10. That means there 400bn debt, which we’re 25.1% of the National Revenue. National Government spent on development we’re 270,320,838,230.00 or 270bn.
In the 2015/2016:
At the fiscal year ending the 22nd July of 2016 the budget debt we’re 683,479,898,203.50. That means there 683bn debt, which we’re 36.9% of the National Revenue. National Government spent on development we’re 333,170,357,469.90 or 333bn.
So as you see, the FY 2013/2014 isn’t the worst. FY 2014/2015 is the start of loose government spending. The Jubilee all of sudden borrow 400bn and spends 270bn. That is 130bn that is used on day-to-day business, with loaned fiscal funds instead of the ordinary tax-base that the government should be fixated on. So with the last year FY 2015/2016 the Jubilee went all out in the stratosphere and borrowed from any bank or institution possible; as the debt we’re 683bn and the development we’re 333bn. That is 350bn that are used to day-to-day business and not development. The question remain why the sudden giant loan ratio towards the last year before election and why the lack of projects to use the newly granted funds.
The fiscal responsibility seems weak and not there when a government can splash this kind of funds and use this amount of debt on day-to-day instead of big projects and infrastructure projects needed. I am sure DP William Ruto has more friends that can be sub-contractors for some Chinese infused borrowed road projects around Kisumu. But, the ability to sustainable development with the steady rise of debt is worrying. That the IMF and World Bank is saying the debt ratio is still feasible should be worrying. As the IMF and World Bank never had control of the worst years before the Greece defaulted and needed saving grace from the world around it. The worst comes to worst when the Kenyan Government starts to default and reach it’s limit they have to have a mercy on the Jubilee and the counterparts who are paying for loose fiscal behaviour. The worst comes to worst with the giant amount of added fiscal funds might give the economy a edged inflation and bank rates that weakens the Kenyan Shilling as the deficit between reality and what is really used.
You can wonder why the Jubilee wants to hedge up so much loans and government debt. When the FY 2013/2014 and FY 2014/2015 we’re the net domestic borrowing around 300bn, but by FY 2015/2016 it become 500bn. That is a jump of 200bn of Domestic Borrowing. That should also be questioned together with the ratio already in the budget. This doesn’t seem like a healthy fiscal policy. The public should question the use of the borrowed domestic and total ratio of debt. The governance levels and accountability of the funds should be asked from Opposition and also the Auditor General. The Inspectorate of Government the IGG or Ombudsman should hassle the hustling Jubilee who has gained these funds and been responsible for the allocated budget and inquired for the option for loans to development and day-to-day use.
What do you think? Peace.

“The strategy of our government is clear for anyone who chooses to see: It is to frustrate the people until some of them commit acts of violence, which then justifies the government’s own violent response. This is calculated to force those who have been calling for non-violent protests, specifically the church leaders, to denounce the activists who are demanding change but who the government portrays as violent inciters. We cannot allow this government to attempt to reclaim the moral ground to rule it has lost by pointing accusatory fingers at people who simply want to be heard and to exercise their full constitutional rights as citizens. We want change in Zimbabwe and we want it now. To want it for future generations merely prolongs ours suffering and that of our children. We want it for ourselves today so that we can get on with the business of building the kind of country we want for our children’s children. It is our right to demand that. This is Dr. Noah Manyika from Build Zimbabwe saying: Is there not a cause? #BuildZimbabwe” (Build Zimbabwe, 2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNkrzYTHDo
“In what has been seen as an attempt to forestall Friday’s multi-party mega demonstration, police in Harare on Wednesday descended on MDC-T youths who were marching in the city centre, resulting in chaos as police fired teargas and randomly truncheoned members of the public, leaving many shops closed and city centre deserted. In the ensuing melee, angry protesters retaliated against the police brutality…” (African Yellow, 2016)