Edinah Masanga | The unjust ruling by the Constitutional Court, forcing Zimbabweans to pay ZBC even if they do not use it, is just Robert Mugabe and his minions stepping up efforts to continue robbing starving Zimbabweans through state organs such as the judiciary.
So I am not surprised that the Constitutional court made a ‘landmark’ ruling that everyone must pay radio licenses even though they may not be using ZBC as a provider of radio services.
First of all we know that the starving people of Zimbabwe are in fact propping the broke government through road toll tariffs, ZRP’s unjustified vehicle spot fines and now we are all going to finance the Zanu PF propaganda machine called ZBC by force.
Zanu PF is determined to survive by hook or by crook in the economic mess that it created.
Often, I meet people who remark about the resilience of the people Zimbabwe – how they have a will to survive, that they are struggling but surviving. But I always say the truth; people are not surviving at all, the companies are not surviving, the schools are not surviving, no one except Zanu PF is surviving in Zimbabwe.
This court ruling therefore had nothing to do with justice but is a mere authorisation, by a presumably impartial ConCourt, of ZBC’s  fundraising efforts.
ZBC is broke and the government is broke as well, and therefore blocking fundraising efforts by the broadcaster would have had a devastating impact on it, possibly leaving Mugabe without a mouthpiece. History shows us that that cannot happen in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe is a man known for taking. You know I’m not making this up, after all there are conflicting reports whether his wife Grace Mugabe was actually single when he took her (the other major problem that he created for Zimbabwe in that yapping typist-in-chief).
I expect hell to follow. This ruling is going to cause untold suffering for Zimbabweans because they will now be swindled under the guise of having to comply with the law.
Who has time to listen to ZBC puppet presenters gushing about (the widely recognised as undemocratically elected) Commander-in-Chief of Zimbabwe? Ninety percent of ZBC news start with something about the so called Commander in chief all the time (yawn). Who cares really.
However, we have to ask ourselves whether the Zimbabwean judiciary, in matters where there is vested political interest from Zanu pf, is independent. The answer is no most of the time.
As we might all know, political power in Zimbabwe is split between three arms of government namely the executive (presidency), the legislative and the judicial branches.
We also know that under normal circumstances these three arms of government are supposed to operate independently in terms of freedoms to execute their duties without undue interference from the executive. But this is not possible in Zimbabwe because it is an authoritarian regime.
Put simply, the president must not extend his (slimy) tentacles into the operations of the parliament and the courts but in fact the opposite is modus vivendi in Zimbabwe.
But there is hope for a freer Zimbabwe. I am going to remind everyone in all my posts from now on; come 2018 none of this mess must come back. We must vote them out. The time to start planning for voting Zanu pf OUT is now. Register to vote, don’t ever be like me that always cried when Zanu pf returned to power but had not voted.
I hate to but I have to leave you for now but, as usual, always remember that love prevails over evil.
Edinah Masanga is a Zimbabwean journalist, feminist and human rights activist. She is on Facebook and Twitter as @EdinahMasanga.