ZANU PF comes in all shapes and sizes. There are a variety of different bodies that masquerade as one thing, but are, in reality, ZANU PF institutions, bodies and organs.

Yesterday, I wrote about a ‘lobby group’ that was threatening to have Nestle Zimbabwe aken over because they were refusing to take delivery of milk from Gushungo Dairy - owned by the Mugabe family.

Today, this report tells of the same group, the Affirmative Action Group, threatening the Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, and Economic Development Minister, Elton Mangoma with death.

In a thinly veiled threat, former television presenter, Themba Mliswa, stated: “We want to warn them that we are not going to let them sabotage the economy by refusing to give farmers loans, we are definitely going to take action against them… we can kill people”, he said. “We want these politicians not to politicise the issue of agriculture because it’s a national food issue.”

Is the threat of ‘killing’ not ringing alarm bells anywhere?

Perhaps the most interesting thing for me, was the description in the article of the AAG as a “ZANU terrorist group masquerading as lobby outfit“.

Quite fitting, when you remember that Mugabe’s ZANU PF government was, before 1980, a “terrorist group”. Then, the free world chose to label them as ‘freedom fighters’ - a misnomer within itself as ‘freedom fighters’ surely fight freedom!

The Memorandum of Understanding signed in July last year states specifically: “The Parties shall refrain from using abusive language that may incite hostility, political intolerance and ethnic hatred or undermine each other.”

ZANU PF will hide behind the fact that the AAG is not a ZANU PF body, although it obviously is. But because they don’t fly the ZANU PF flag, then they will be divorced from the party even though they are representative of that party’s thinking.

Which then would beg the question: Are the statements by Mliswa not illegal?

Under Zimbabwean law, is it not unlawful to threaten the person of another - even if that threat is thinly veiled?

If the Zimbabwe Republic Police were to arrest Mliswa and investigate the case, then, perhaps, we might believe that the AAG is an independent organ - but much the same as the self-styled war veteran leader, Joseph Chinotimba, can ‘brandish’ a firearm whilst orchestrating the eviction of an elderly lady in Gweru, or that a Major General can threaten to shoot an MDC MP, and not be prosecuted for their misdeeds, Mliswa will remain unchallenged and hence unpunished.

But any civic minded person would object to this sort of speech - no matter whether it is politically motivated or not. Have people not been dragged through Zimbabwean courts for denigrating the name of Robert Mugabe?

Did his police force not prosecute a woman for calling him “Hitler” - even though he has called himself “Hitler - tenfold“?

The third worst governed country in the world - Zimbabwe - where you can be prosecuted for agreeing with the President!

Hate speech is seen as something that can be used to incite violence, discord and criminal acts - but if it comes from a ZANU PF source, then it is acceptable.

How is this right - in anyone’s eyes?

How can ZANU PF hate speech be any more acceptable than hate speech emanating from any other source?

But in Zimbabwe it is acceptable to spread hate speech - as long as you have a nod or a wink from President Mugabe and his party.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man