Torture camps reemerge

Posted by Nxwala on March 14, 2010

Signs are slowly showing that Zanu-PF is starting to prepare for the elections, which many strongly believe will be next year. Torture camps are cropping up, which is a clear indication that Mugabe will call for elections soon, if not next year. The militia and the war veterans are the backbone that has made Zanu-PF win the elections since 2000. Most of the militia camps were disbanded after the run-off elections of March 2008, after Mugabe won the election competing with himself. Those that were disbanded are now being turned back into the notorious camps. This means the election must be conducted by SADC or else it will be useless for anyone to participate because the winner will be known before Election Day.

Most of these torture camps have been brought back in Mashonaland, Manicaland, Midlands. Many of the youth who were in the camps up to 2008 were put into the police, army and the CIO as a way of keeping them available in case anything happens. The youth are taking part in making sure that the constitutional process is disturbed and that the elections are to be held under the Kariba Draft, the current constitutional document. They are making sure they do their best to intimidate, torture and instill fear, so people will vote for the Kariba Draft in the referendum.

What surprises me is that the unity government is pushing the issue to remove the sanctions, and South African President Jacob Zuma was in the United Kingdom pleading with the west to lift sanctions, but not acknowledging the torture that will come thereafter. Once the sanctions are lifted, members of Zanu will go overseas and grab their wealth, stolen in Zimbabwe but hidden abroad, and take back their assets to local banks. Once they do that, come elections they will revive torture camps and people from the opposition will be killed and then, even if they bring back the sanctions, it will be of no use. For the safety of all of us in Zimbabwe, sanctions must stay. SADC must conduct the elections and not just observe. It must take part to make sure the referendum and the constitution-making process is done freely and fairly. If that is not done then the Global Political Agreement (GPA) will just be one other useless, ceremonial gathering of the time.

The political instability is the reason there are still torture camps in Zimbabwe, and there isn’t much hope it will improve. The only way the three political giants will make peace is if one joins the other, but Zanu will not give it easy to the two MDCs. They fear they will go from being heroes to prisoners in The Hague, so unless someone proves that they will be safe and they feel convinced maybe they would let the power go to the other parties or else nothing is going to happen. Zimbabweans will always suffer and the MDC will disappear like smoke in the air in the hands of Zanu-PF.

It is the duty of South Africa as the mediator to make sure that what was signed is being implemented, and to make sure ordinary people are not being abused by their own brothers and sisters. After the World Cup, there is speculation of xenophobia here in South Africa. If these militia camps are allowed, then there will be no place for us, the Diaspora, in Africa because we are targeted in South Africa for being foreigners and targeted in Zimbabwe for not supporting Zanu-PF.