Faced with abductions MDC must learn survival tactics!

By Stanford Mukasa

A FALSE sense of optimism has been created among many Zimbabweans that President Thabo Mbeki is now more actively engaged in seeking a solution to the ongoing Zimbabwean crisis because he has been appointed by SADC heads of state, and that this points to better prospects for the success of Mbeki’s initiative.

There is a tendency to forget, however, that this is the same Mbeki who supposedly has emerged from the woodwork of his quiet diplomacy and the same SADC heads of state who have traditionally and unashamedly supported Zimbabwe’s dictator, President Robert Mugabe.


Both Mbeki and the SADC heads of state have not shown, at least publicly, any concern or care about the hundreds of opposition supporters who are being abducted, tortured and sometimes left for dead. It is estimated that over 600 MDC supporters have been subjected to some of the worst forms of human rights abuse so far this year.


In light of this, it is outrageously mischievous for the SADC to suggest that they gave Mugabe a grilling in private about his human rights record. If they did, how come Mugabe emerged from that grilling stronger and more determined to intensify his abuse of human rights?


To add insult to injury, the SADC secretary general came to visit Zimbabwe to discuss how the region can help improve the country’s economy. We did not hear that the secretary general was also coming to discuss what progress Mugabe was making to respect and improve human rights as a result of the so-called grilling he allegedly received during the Tanzania summit.


There is also no evidence at all that Mbeki’s shuttle diplomacy at the behest of SADC is showing any meaningful results so far. Mugabe is forging full speed ahead to perpetuate his rule. Mbeki himself is a lame duck. He is due to retire next year. It’s probably too much to expect Mbeki to do anything more than regurgitate the empty promises and repeat the clichés he has made over past seven years about helping Zimbabweans resolve their problems.


It is de javu in Zimbabwe. Mugabe and Zanu-PF have now put into action their rigging machinery. And the prospects for free and fair elections next year, if they ever existed, are now dimmer than ever. The plans to hold elections next year are being made with the usual baggage - violence against the opposition.


Mugabe’s strategy is two-pronged.


One strategy is to deal with internal dissent over his successor. Through a carefully contrived strategy of running both presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time, Mugabe has virtually assured himself full support even from prevaricating factions such as the Mujuru group.


The other is to neutralize the MDC. Mugabe is aware that MDC is a government-in-waiting because of the popularity it currently enjoys countrywide. It is a myth that urban areas support MDC while rural areas favor Mugabe. Few people anywhere in urban or rural Zimbabwe would willingly vote for Mugabe, as some would call him, after he has crash-landed the economy and created Stone Age conditions in Zimbabweans.


Those who do support Mugabe are so few they would not fill a busload into exile. Mugabe knows that too, otherwise he would not go to great lengths to rig elections in both urban and rural areas.


Apart from its popular support, the MDC has other strengths. Some of these lie in Mugabe’s weaknesses. Having the monopoly of violence in his control of the the press, police, army and the CIO does not give Mugabe a totalitarian control of the entire population. No regime, however brutal, was ever able to enjoy absolute control of its oppressed people indefinitely.


One strength the Zimbabweans are exploiting is their resilience. Their ability to withstand and survive the harsh dictatorial rule of Mugabe has, ironically, created stress not only on Mugabe himself but also among the police, army, CIO and the militant Zanu-PF youths.


But resilience alone will not push the agenda for change fast and far enough. Resilience relies on Mugabe and his cronies getting exhausted from beating people. What is needed is the infusion of another people-driven initiative that will act as a catalyst for change.


However, if they are to be proactive agents of change, the people must have the confidence to overcome fear generated by the abductions and savage beatings by Mugabe’s thugs. Resilience is a double edged sword. On one hand, it gives people the will to live and keep going on in the face of such oppression. But resilience also dumbs people into a sense of a fear- driven resignation and inability to take mass action.


People are in despair. They feel a sense of helplessness in the face of such brutal repression by Mugabe’s storm troopers.


One small but significant step to overcome this fear factor would be a strategy to prevent abduction. If Zimbabweans can ensure that they are not picked up at random and subjected to all kinds of inhuman and bestial measures, that would go some way towards instilling confidence to take on the regime through mass action.


Zimbabweans must employ the same strategies that women have been couched in in order to avoid being rape victims. Women are encouraged to avoid
traveling alone in high risk areas. They are also encouraged to be part of a network to facilitate their call for help.


Where possible, women are encouraged to have a working cell phone so they can call people they know and trust for help. As a last resort women are also taught, where possible, to carry mace pepper sprayers or teasers which can stop a potential rapist and give the victim a chance to escape and call for help. Women are also encouraged to learn martial arts and other ways of self-defence.


In similar vein, opposition supporters should discuss similar and appropriate measures, especially for the more visible and most sought-after leadership at all levels. They should be suspicious of mysterious men in dark glasses who approach them with all kinds of cock and bull yarns to coax them into their vehicles.


MDC officials and their supporters should learn the basic survival techniques in the face of attempted abductions. It is illegal to abduct. Therefore, potential victims have, under international law, the right to defend themselves using whatever means they can muster to survive this kind of state-sponsored terrorism.


Women are also taught, where possible, to run to public places and scream for help. They can also scream for anyone with a cell phone to call a certain number. Members of the public may not always respond but there is always a prayerful hope that at least someone in the crowd might have enough courage to use his or her cellphone to call for help.


Individual experiences vary. But it is important that kidnap victims should be aware of a range of possibilities they could consider when faced with a potential abduction.

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