ZANU PF IS AFRAID BECAUSE CHANGE IS COMING

The fight for democracy in Zimbabwe is not over. Every day shows us that ZANU PF will not give up power easily. The recent arrest of Job Sikhala and 39 other people in Penhalonga is more proof. The government is scared of anyone who speaks out. Instead of listening to the people, they try to silence them. But change is coming, and they know it.

Job Sikhala is a known activist. He was arrested with his friends at a National Democratic Working Group meeting. NDWG is not a political party. It is just a group that wants to talk to people about Zimbabwe’s future. But the government saw this as a threat. The arrest was not just to stop the meeting. It was a warning to everyone who wants to see change.

Sikhala and the others were later released. But their chief organiser, Engineer Joelson Mugari, was not. He stayed in police hands even though he needed life-saving medicine. His health became worse. Only after pressure from activists did the police take him to hospital. This is the cruelty people suffer under ZANU PF. The government does not care about lives. It only cares about staying in power.

The arrest was very violent. First, CIO officers came in a black-window Toyota Hilux. They looked at the meeting and left. Then another car without number plates came. Inside were officers from CID Law and Order. Soon after, trucks full of riot police arrived. They had AK-47 rifles. They stormed the place and started beating people. No one had done anything wrong. This is how the regime answers peaceful action.

One police officer pointed his gun at Dr. Wurayayi Zembe and threatened to shoot. But Dr. Zembe stayed calm. Just imagine—people getting death threats for meeting. When Sikhala tried to greet the Officer Commanding, the officer said, “Ndakarombaka ini. Ko mhepo dzangu dzikazokubata?” This was said to scare him. But Sikhala was not shaken.

The police said the group broke the law, something called the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act. But this law does not apply to private meetings. ZANU PF itself has meetings without asking the police. Why should activists be treated like criminals? The truth is, the law is being used to punish anyone who wants change.

The arrested people were forced into open trucks while it rained. They were taken to Penhalonga Police Station and made to sit on a dirty floor. After that, they were moved to Mutare Central. No real charges were made. Only four of them, including Sikhala and Dr. Zembe, were taken for more questioning. This was all done to scare them.

But fear is no longer working. ZANU PF is falling apart from inside. They are fighting among themselves. They see that people are waking up. Instead of fixing the problems in the country, they send riot police to beat activists. Instead of helping the economy, they arrest people who talk about solutions. But the people are tired now. Tired of lies. Tired of hunger. Tired of corruption.

ZANU PF is scared because they know time is running out. They cannot stop the will of the people with guns and jail cells. Zimbabweans are rising. The movement for democracy is growing. The world is watching. And history shows us one thing—no dictatorship lasts forever.

So the question remains. How long will they rule by fear? How long will they beat people instead of leading them? We don’t know the exact day change will come. But we know it will come. And when it does, the people will remember who stood for them.