As a former prosecutor in Zimbabwean courts, I am daily assailed by example upon example of the rule of law in Zimbabwe being thrown in the face of the Zimbabwean people. And I thought that I would look at just three of those examples, through which I intend to show the blatant misuse of the law by Mugabe and his cohorts in ZANU PF.

First of all, about two years ago, a woman made the mistake of likening Mugabe to Adolf Hitler. For her utterances, the woman was processed through criminal courts for tarnishing Mugabe’s name.

Now consider this - Mugabe, quite publicly, declared himself “Hitler - tenfold” - so, effectively, the authorities in Zimbabwe prosecuted this woman - for agreeing with Mugabe!

Since when was that a ‘crime’?

In 2000, once it was apparent that the people had rejected the ‘new’ ZANU PF Conctitution by a referendum, in a rage, Mugabe set his war veterans on the white commercial farmers.

Farmers and workers were killed in cold blood.

STEVENS, David - 15th April 2000 - Murehwa South, Mashonaland East
OLDS, Martin - 18th April 2000 - Bubi-Umguza, Matabeleland North
DUNN, Allan Stewart - 7th May 2000 – Seke, Mashonaland East
ELSWORTH, Henry Swan - 7th May 2000 - Kwekwe, Midlands
WEEKS, John - 14th May 2000 - Seke, Mashonaland East
OATES, Tony - 31st May 2000 - Zvimba North, Mashonaland West
BOTHA, William - 23rd July 2000 - Seke/Marondera, Mashonaland East
OLDS, Gloria - 4th March 2001 - Bubi Mguza, Matabeleland North
COBBET, Robert Fenwick - 6th August 2001 - Kwekwe, Midlands
FORD, Terrance Fenwick - 18th March 2002 - Norton, Mashonaland East
BAYLEY, Thomas Samson - 1st May 2002 - Mount Hampden, Mashonaland
ANDERSON, Charles - 2nd June 2002 - Mazoe, Mashonaland Central
SIVERTON, Pieter - January 2004 - Mashonaland Central
SUNDE, Ole - 6th February 2005 - Mutoroshanga, Mashonaland West
STEWART, Donald - 26th November 2005 - Norton, Mashonaland West
TENANT, Phillip - 1st April 2006 – Chiredzi, Masvingo Province

(This list was taken from the book “Jambanja” written by Eric Harrison. The list may seem very one-sided as it lists just the commercial farmers slain, not the workers. That list I have yet to find…)

Have we ever seen a war veteran arraigned in court for the worst crime of all – murder? No!

Last year, in the run-up to the second round of the Presidential election (which I believe was not needed as Morgan Tsvangirai had won the first round by the required majority of 50% plus one vote - but the ballot papers were removed by ZANU PF who then worked in a secret place to re-engineer the result to be more palatable - the ‘results’ were made public some five weeks later), an estimated 130 members and activists of the Movement for Democratic Change were killed.

Have we ever seen anyone being arraigned in court for these deaths? No. But we have seen MDC activists being charged in court for fighting back!

Lastly, theft is the simple common law crime of relieving someone of their lawful possessions.

It matters not whether the goods stolen are valuable or not, if they were illegally removed from the owner without their knowledge or authority, then the goods have been stolen.

The governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has relieved accounts held by the central bank of millions of US dollars and he claims that it was ‘irregular banking practise’ brought on by the need to finance the country in a time of need because of illegal economic sanctions by the West.

There are no economic sanctions in place against Zimbabwe - but there are targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his administration.

The taking of the money - whether Gono ever intended to repay the money or not - is theft. We cannot just take someone else’s possessions for our own use without authority (although Gono will claim that he had the required authority - being his position) - if that were so then nothing would be sacred by way of ‘possession’.

Mugabe defends Gono saying that he is not a thief - he was acting in the best interest of the country - or some such rubbish.

Gono is Mugabe’s lapdog - and a thief. But is Gono to be dragged to court to answer for his crimes? No!

So - there we have it. The law in Zimbabwe is non-existent, if applied to Mugabe and the various ZANU PF extensions, while the people of Zimbabwe (and others outside the country if you count who’s accounts were stolen from) have no legal stance and just have to grin and bear it.

Warning - illegality starts and ends in Zimbabwe with ZANU PF.

Robb WJ Ellis
The Bearded Man