Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa has provoked the world in a miscalculated post on his social media platforms where he declared that his government is doing well to eliminate violence against women.
“Today is the International Day for the #EliminationOfViolenceAgainstWomen. We must all strive for a more equal & peaceful society, where violence has no place. In Zimbabwe we are working hard to protect women from violence, to eliminate this evil phenomenon once & for all,” Mnangagwa said.
Mnangagwa’s unfortunate statement comes at a time when his government is under attack for unleashing a brutal police force to attack innocent citizens, beating up people, predominantly women and children in the streets of Harare after an opposition MDC gathering.
Human rights activists provided shocking details of the attacks and condemned Mnangagwa’s government for executing brutal violence on innocent women.
With all the details and previous incidents of violence on women by the police and state security available, critics have been left believing that Mnangagwa is not well advised on how to address issues of concern in the country or that the President is choosing to deliberately ignore this.
More than his unfortunate statement issued on Tuesday, Mnangagwa may have done very well had he apologised to the world for his security apparatus’ continued brutality on citizens in general and women in particular as 16 days against violence on women begin.
Zimbabwe security forces have been carrying out killings, rape, torture and other grave abuses since Mnangagwa came to power through a military coup in 2017.
Mnangagwa’s security forces use the crackdown after citizen protests or gatherings to commit numerous cases of rape.
Eight women from Hopley, Southlea Park, and Epworth in Harare province told Human Rights Watch in separate interviews in January that they were raped by uniformed and armed soldiers and police, some concealing their identities with masks. A 46-year-old woman said that nine armed men, six in army uniform, came to her house in Epworth on January 15 at about 9 p.m. Two soldiers raped her without condoms in front of her teenage son. At the local police station, the police refused to record her complaint, telling her, “these things happen, these things are happening all over the country, so we cannot receive your report or open a police case docket.”
If Mnangagwa is committed to his statement, the authorities should arrest and prosecute those responsible for abuses and send a strong message that crimes against women and citizens by the security forces won’t be tolerated.
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