Zimbabwe Sliding Back into Chaos

The government of national unity (GNU) formed in 2009 ended a wave of political violence that was characterised by murder, kidnappings, torture and massive displacements of people.

Political analysts last week warned that recent running battles between police and vendors in Harare, arrests and torture of MDC-T activists across the country and Zanu PF's continued reluctance to implement the roadmap to free and fair elections were tell-tale signs of imminent political chaos.

This comes as a Zanu PF-aligned militia group, Chipangano, appears to be reclaiming the violent political space it occupied in 2008 by continuing to terrorise suspected supporters of MDC-T with impunity.

The MDC-T has pointed a finger at state security agents, particularly the police, who they accuse of working in cahoots with Zanu PF to decimate its structures.

Zanu PF has also roped in the state media which has intensified vitriol against Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his party, in violation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

Through the use of war veterans, Zanu PF has tried to derail the constitution-making process so that elections are held under the current supreme law which favours President Robert Mugabe. The party has however, denied fermenting violence or disrupting the constitution-making process.

MDC-T deputy spokesperson Thabitha Khumalo said the escalation of violence in rural areas, arrests of her party activists and MPs as well as the harassment of ordinary people by security agents were enough indicators that the country was sliding into another crisis of the 2008 magnitude.

MDC-T has alleged that at least 200 of its supporters were murdered by Zanu PF militia and state security agents during the 2008 elections, forcing Tsvangirai to boycott a run-off.

"This is how it all started in 2008," said Khumalo. "They (Zanu PF) want to win these coming elections by hook and crook and they will not spare anyone who stands in their way."