FORMER Co-Minister of State for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration during the inclusive Government and founding member of the MDC, Mrs Sekai Holland, on Monday hit state media headlines saying that some reports of abduction of opposition and civil society members by alleged State security agents were false.
Mrs Holland, who is National Peace Trust (NPT) board of trustees chairperson, said it was critical for diplomats in the country to first verify abduction claims before circulating messages on social media.
“The National Peace Trust notes with concern statements coming from some quarters of the diplomatic community, civil society and political players on the situation in Zimbabwe,” said Mrs Holland in a statement.
“Some of these statements border on falsehoods, misinformation and outright malice and have the potential to further derail current fragile multiple peace building initiatives in Zimbabwe, a new and healthy feature which the NPT treasure, after the 52 years of Zimbabweans fear of one another and the painful silence our society has endured.
“Zimbabweans need to take advantage of the new spirit ushered in by the 2nd Republic to call for peace and to open new spaces for conversations.”
Mrs Holland said the NPT – which mainstreams peace with justice, reconciliation and healing in inclusive grassroots sustainable development programmes focusing on children, women, youths, the marginalised and vulnerable – implored parties to refrain from circulating unverified information.
She said while the NPT had not investigated all cases of abduction, the incidents involving the abduction of two opposition activists in Mufakose had been “reported out of context”.
“The same has been with the situation involving the youth leader of a political party at the end of the final discussion programme hosted by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and broadcast jointly by the Zimpapers Television Network and the Voice of America on July 31, 2019,” said Mrs Holland. “These two events have drawn unjustified widespread condemnation. Clearly, organisations involved in communicating these incidents have not bothered to investigate.”
Mrs Holland called on political parties to heed President Mnangagwa’s repeated calls for peace and unity.
Women have become targets for attacks, especially those opposed to the MDC-Alliance’s agenda.
Mrs Holland called on the diplomatic community to support the process of establishing the truth by recognising the “good spirit prevailing in the country and condemning all forms of violence in an impartial manner”.
She called on political parties to support the dialogue process which was initiated by President Mnangagwa, to find a lasting solution to the challenges confronting the country.
In March 2007 Holland was herself abducted, arrested and brutally tortured in a Harare police station with 139 leaders of the MDC.
She sustained a broken arm, a broken leg, fractured ribs, and over 80 lacerations to her entire body caused by whipping, beating, and being stamped on by the torturers.
Sekai spent 15 weeks in hospitals in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Australia including eight months in Australia, to begin to recover. ‘In the police station, the answer to the group’s inquiry was swift. They were beaten and spat on by more than a dozen police officers.
Three of Holland’s ribs were broken when a policewoman jumped on her. Holland’s 80 injuries included a broken arm, a fractured knee, cuts and lacerations, and a leg snapped by blows from an iron bar. But she survived.’
“Tortured for hours, Holland was jailed, and finally released after two court hearings. To the fury of Mugabe, however, she was escorted by an Australian diplomat to the airport, where she was flown to South Africa for treatment.’
Her Australian husband, Jim Holland, told a reporter: “The regime tried to beat her into submission and has totally failed, and she knows that she’s won.” Prime Minister of Australia at the time, John Howard, called Mugabe a “disaster” and Zimbabwe “a total heap of misery”.