The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC) has expressed outrage over the continued abductions and murders of opposition party activists, with the latest victim being Bishop Tapfumaneyi Masaya, an activist from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).
In a statement, CZC highlighted the State’s systematic assault on dissent and disregard for constitutionalism, fair political contestation, democracy, and good governance.
CZC indicated that the perpetrators of these heinous acts remain unpunished and even rewarded, leading to the conclusion that the State has gone rogue and is unwilling to account to its citizens.
“The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC), we are gravely incensed by the continued abduction and murder -without consequence – of those that dare to disagree with the State and the Zanu PF party and the most recent victim, Bishop Tapfumaneyi Masaya, an activist from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), abducted and killed this week, adds to the long list of Zimbabwe’s victims of the State’s systematic assault on dissent.
“This is unacceptable, and points to a State that has a thirst to feed on the blood of its citizens in total disregard of all the tenets of constitutionalism, fair political contestation, democracy, and good governance as espoused in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“We conclude this because perpetrators of these continuing heinous acts, most of whom are known State and Zanu PF militia operatives, have not been arrested and convicted, and in some instances, they have been rewarded, and the only conclusion that we can make is that the State has gone rogue and unwilling to account to the citizens which it should serve,” reads the statement.
CZC also said the State and Zanu PF’s disregard extends beyond domestic laws to international treaties, statint that: “The State and Zanu PF have willfully continued to disregard not just the Constitution and other domestic laws guaranteeing the safety of all, justice and human rights, but have also violated various international treaties such as the SADC Treaty, AU Charter on Peoples and Human Rights, and the United Nations Charter.”
“It is therefore clear that the failure of the government to address these issues or its alleged complicity in them puts us at odds with citizens of Zimbabwe, and regional bodies and in light of this, we send the following message very strongly: To the Zimbabwe Republic Police, you have your job cut out according to the Constitution of Zimbabwe Section 219, which clearly states your role in , investigating and preventing crime, protecting and securing lives and upholding this Constitution and enforcing the law without fear or favour,” reads the statement.
“It is therefore unconstitutional for members of the police service to be seen to be participating in acts of abduction, or for the police force to fail to investigate such crimes. We therefore strongly call on the ZRP Commissioner General Godwin Matanga to address the nation on the full and intricate details of the many investigations of abductions and killings of opposition supporters, which the police have claimed to be undertaking, results of which have never been made public,” added the statement.
