By Farai Muroiwa Marapira
Opposition political parties have been at the forefront of tarnishing Zimbabwe's image through theatrics and unfounded claims of torture, abduction, and forced disappearances. Unfailingly, a stark correlation between these theatrics and crucial global events, such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), SADC meetings, anti sanctions day and other international events is clearly shown. A brief summary, not exhaustive can be found below...
2024:
•Ongoing attempts and further threats of violence towards the SADC Summit and underhanded plans for violent demonstrations have already led to the arrest of 78 members affiliated with Chamisa. This is unsurprising and is a well-calculated attack.
•Zimbabwe is hosting an international event where President Emmerson Mnangagwa will assume the bloc chairmanship. The opposition's major strategy has always been to malign Zimbabwes image at international events meant to boost Zimbabwe's image.
2023:
•Takudzwa Ngadziore recorded himself being abducted by unknown, "gun-wielding men". This was done a few days before the SADC troika meeting in Luanda.
2022:
•In May, Moreblessing Ali was killed by her lover, Pius Jamba, who was subsequently arrested by the Zimbabwean police force and brought before the courts. •However, opposition activists led by Job Sikhala opportunistically tried to present this unfortunate domestic incident as a political case.
•Their spurious activities coincided with President Mnangagwa's trip to Davos within the same month.
2021:
•September, ahead of President Mnangagwa's visit to the United Kingdom, the country witnessed a spate of anti-government activities led by civil society organizations (CSOs).
•The aim was to ostensibly smear Zimbabwe's image through propaganda and abduction claims. In the same year, CSOs claimed that Solomon Chanengeta was abducted by six armed men.
•Once again the claims coincided with UNGA21 and Cop26.
2020:
•The MDC Alliance announced that Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova had been abducted after a demonstration during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
•Video footage later surfaced of them buying take away at a fastfood restaurant.
•This was calculated to coincide with the World Bank Spring Meetings, which aimed to support countries affected by the pandemic.
•Following this, Mr. Tendai Biti wrote a letter to the World Bank advising them to withhold any COVID-19 funding to the Zimbabwean government. The intention of the ploy was exposed.
2019:
•In September, collusion between certain Western embassies saw headlines of the,"abduction", of former acting Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association President, Dr. Peter Magombeyi.
•The intention was to escalate an ongoing doctors' strike.
•A few days later, Magombeyi reappeared, hearty, healthy, fit, and well-groomed in Nyabira, about 20km along the Harare-Chirundu highway.
•This claim preceded the inaugural SADC Anti-Sanctions Day and was used opportunistically to justify the continuation of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe by the United States and its partners.
•Magombeyi soon ditched his fellow doctors as he was rewarded with a scholarship in the United States for his role.
•Just before President Mnangagwa's trip to the 1st Africa-Russia Summit in Sochi, numerous opposition elements announced the abduction of Samantha Kureya (Gonyeti), Obert Masaraure, Tinashe Kambarami, Tatenda Mombeyarara, and Blessing Kanotunga, among others, on different dates preceding the Summit in Sochi.
•In 2018, Cornelius Gutha, a spokesperson of the MDC Youth Assembly, was reported to have been abducted preceding President Mnangagwa's First State Visit to China.
•The opposition's use of the abduction narrative dates back as far as 2009 when Pascal Gwezere of the then MDC was reported to have been abducted at a time when international facilitators of the Global Political Agreement were set to be in Zimbabwe.
•There is a clear correlation between notable events and these nefarious opposition activities. These false flag attacks have been exposed time and time again. That they continue in their latest form simply shows the lack of ingenuity and creativity within the opposition. Why else would they continue playing the same old broken record as we have seen in the past few days under the auspices of Ostallos et al? As ZANUPF, we are tried and tested. We are ready to deal with any subversiveness... Decidedly...
We are waiting for the signal
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