Disservice to Zimbabwe’s Attractiveness & Re-engangement With The International Community

By Shingirai Vambe

The tainted road to freedom and the page Zimbabwe has opened attracts unnecessary attention ahead of the 2023 Harmonised Polls with the International Community, Post On Sunday reports.

Selective justice delivery system in the country has raised a lot of dust with magistrates in Zimbabwe said to be playing politics while the blame is put on the ruling Zanu PF party said to be holding a joker for the Judiciary.

Interesting cases, not including one against July Moyo which the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) did not pursue regarding the fire tenders and water pumps, Gokwe,  Nembudziya Member of Parliament (MP) Justice Mayor Wadyajena’s (JMW), case of corruption involving US$5 million dollars opens a can of worms.

Sections of the society claim the JMW case is a factional issue between the Zimbabwean President and and his Vice.

Zimbabweans were this Thursday afternoon left with egg on the face after JMW walked out of court after the Harare Magistrate granted him a ZWL$200 000 bail.

Corruption and criminal cases have been politically handled within the Courts in Zimbabwe,  a ground to settle personal scores.

Few weeks ago it was Henrietta Rushwaya, who was acquitted for trying to smuggle 6kg of gold out of the country through the Robert Mugabe International Airport.

The acquittal did not go down well with Zimbabwe citizens,  as Rushwaya is said to be related to the first family.

The pending devastating case of Marry Chiwenga – Mubaiwa, and Ex-wife of the Vice President Constantino Chiwenga,  made her legal practitioner, Beatrice Mtetwa, break at Rotten Row Magistrates Courts.

Mtetwa while responding to Mubaiwa’s case,  said the police arrest not because there is a case but to investigate and when they see there is no evidence they will start to prolong as if evidence will suddenly materialize.

Such is the scenario with politically motivated arrests.

The body of Moreblessing Ali is still kept in the mortuary. Parents and relatives have since made a demand that until their legal representative, who is the Member of Parliament for Zengeza West, Job Sikhala is released, Ali will not be buried.

Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole are Chitungwiza MPs, detained at Harare Remand Prison on charges of inciting violence after the disappearance of Ali.

Ali was found dead in an abandoned well and in pieces after Sikhala and other opposition members initiated the search.

To date, 14 known opposition activists are behind bars for crimes committed during the period,  in the name of seeking justice.

Relatives who spoke to Post on Sunday Newspaper said they are not surprised with the unconstitutional treatment by the Zimbabwe Courts, even after being attacked, having their properties destroyed.

In one of the interviews,  Norton Member of Parliament,  Temba Mliswa said,  God sees.

Mliswa has been vocal over the selective application of the law,  conduct by the police,  through the office of the Commissioner General, Godwin Matanga and how the courts have handled the cases.

Mliswa said he once spoke of the corruption case involving the JMW,  that of the FSG and he has evidence,  he also spoke of the July Moyo scandle and to date nothing has been done,  instead any MP who tries to raise the matter in Parliament is asked to sit down or chucked out of the house.

Political and media analyst, Alexander Rusero said, “What is currently transpiring is a selective justice application of the law, as we find rule by law as opposed to rule of law in our Courts, the justice delivery system of Zimbabwe is questionable.”

There is an extensive use of the law against members of the opposition party, effectively using the law to deal with opponents as a political instrument on corruption and political crimes being perpetrated by Zanu PF and opposition protagonist,” added Rusero.

“Corruption cases are rising daily, with Zimbabwe being a clandestine state, which does not formally put in place procedures to nab corrupt activities, they are a lot of pockets of avenues where one can be a beggar in the streets then become a billionaire the following day,” Rusero said.

The justice delivery system is said to have arrested many to investigate instead of investigating to arrest.

It boggles the mind,  Zimbabwe’s Re-engangement plan has failed to yield positive results because of the conduct by institutions said to be captured by the state under the leadership of Zanu PF.

The international community operates under a certain peremptory norms, beliefs and values, wherefore in order to belong in certain groups to start to co-habit with certain states you have to adhere to certain principles.

Rusero said the 2023 election is now under the international spotlight.  It finds the justice delivery system more or less tilted in favour of Zanu PF as the Zimbabwe Government wants to liberalize in terms of the economics and not the politics but the two work hand in glove.

JMW case has seen the state moving with speed,  issued a warrant of search and seizure of his 2 luxury vehicles and 22 haulage truck horses.

It is alleged JMW wanted to take his cars to South Africa when they were busted by the police at Beitbridge border post.

Unfortunately,  the Prisons,  Courts and investigations are for those not politically connected to the ruling Zanu-PF party and its leaders.

Meanwhile,  citizens questioned the duties being tasked to Kembo Mohadi, the Zanu pf vice president,  and his packages with state security and resources after the Heroes and Defense Forces Day celebrations.