Sikhala: Opposition Activists Hardened by Persecution as Zimbabwe’s Government Stifles Dissent

Sikhala: Opposition activists are rendered more resilient by the persecution they endure as Zimbabwe’s government suppresses dissent. Zimbabwe’s political environment remains tarnished by the government’s ongoing suppression of dissenting opinions.

The ZANU-PF government, led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has conducted a systematic drive to stifle activists, opposition leaders, and any kind of criticism.

Former Zengeza West lawmaker Job Sikhala has been a key voice in highlighting the shortcomings of this strategy.

Drawing from his own 595 days spent in pretrial detention, Sikhala contends that the government’s oppressive measures simply serve to fortify the resolve of those it wishes to suppress, ultimately pushing the country farther away from democracy.

Sikhala’s detention and treatment serve as an example of Zimbabwe’s more significant political problems. His story—he spent almost two years in prison for accusations that were eventually dropped—illustrates the state’s policy of utilizing protracted pretrial imprisonment as a weapon against political opponents.

Nevertheless, it seems that this strategy dampens the spirits of individuals who are being targeted, having the opposite impact. Sikhala stated in an interview with HStv’s FreeTalk that the more a person is persecuted by the government, the more resolute and determined they become.

Sikhala declared, “There is no complete rehabilitation,” rejecting the misguided belief held by ZANU-PF that the opposition leaders would be broken by incarceration, accoding to Newzimbabwe.com.

Prominent politicians such as Sikhala are not the only ones affected by this widespread repression of opposition.

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Zimbabwe’s biggest opposition organization, has more than 80 members who are presently being held in remand prison on allegations that they organized protests ahead of the Heads of State summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in August.

Most people believe that these accusations are politically driven and intended to silence any opposition voices or protests during the major event in Harare.

The use of preventive arrests as a means of quelling protests is reflected in the Zimbabwean government’s record of quick and often violent responses to opposition.

Recent examples have further illustrated the extent to which the government represses opposition.

Labor activist Robson Chere, human rights activist Namatai Kwekweza, and alternative politician Samuel Gwenzi were taken from an aircraft at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, subjected to torture, and deposited at the Harare Central Police Station.

These blatant acts of repression are reminiscent of Zimbabwe’s dark history, when disappearances and abductions were used as instruments to quell opposition and inspire terror in the populace.

The way these people were treated reveals a lot about the extent the government is ready to go to in order to keep onto power, even if the accusations made against them were ultimately shown to be unfounded.

Similar strategies have already been used in Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe employed similar strategies to maintain order and neutralize his opponents while he was president.

Court numbers belonging to the opposition were usually manipulated, leading to protracted periods of custody without a fair trial. This practice has persisted under Mnangagwa’s direction, and the legal system is currently being employed as a weapon for political repression.

The arbitrary detentions and slow-moving judiciary have fostered a climate of fear that has stifled criticism before it has a chance to arise.

Sikhala has experienced this system directly, therefore he is all too familiar with its ramifications.

He formed the National Transitional Working Group (NTWG), a movement he leads now that he works for systemic change after being released from prison.

Like Nelson Chamisa, he decided to leave the CCC, indicating a wider discontent with the opposition formations that have been the focus of multiple accusations of state operatives infiltrating them.

Sikhala’s tale is not uncommon, but he does join an increasing number of people who feel that as long as people in Zimbabwe are persecuted for their disagreements with the government, true democracy can never be established.

The government’s actions have unquestionably moved Zimbabwe farther away from democratic rule.

A country that was once poised to rank among the richest in Africa is now entangled in a web of social upheaval, economic instability, and political repression.

The crackdown on dissent has not worked to stabilize the government’s power but rather increased tensions as opposition activists and those who support them have grown more self-assured in their pursuit of change.

Chains and bars cannot quiet the cause for which many now consider themselves martyrs, and the incarceration of CCC members and other opposition figures has become a rallying cry.

The Decline of Zimbabwe’s Democratic Principles At the core of Zimbabwe’s ongoing conflict is a fundamental question: What steps are necessary to systematically restore democracy to a country that has suffered decades of authoritarian rule? The simplest and most obvious answer is that we need an independent court that is free from political influence.

As long as the courts continue to be used as state tools to extend the arrest of opposition figures without due process, Zimbabwe will find it difficult to establish itself as a democratic society.

As a result, greater pressure from the international community is needed to force Zimbabwe’s government to overhaul its legal system and guarantee that the rule of law supersedes political expediency.

Furthermore, the culture of impunity that has let state agents abduct, torture, and persecute people without facing consequences needs to end.

Accountability is necessary for the future of Zimbabwe as a democratic state as well as for the people who have been abused. The government’s policies have strangled civil society because they have made journalists, activists, and regular people scared to criticize the state.

When it comes to the fundamentals of any democratic system—a free press and an empowered civil society—Zimbabwe is not an exception.

The present crackdown on media outlets and independent voices directly violates the values of accountability and openness, which are fundamental to democratic government.

The reaction of the opposition and the future direction, the biggest opposition party, the CCC, has denounced the government’s harassment of its members and other activists and demanded a halt to arrests made for political reasons.
Sikhala and Chamisa’s decision to break from the party, however, shows how internal strife and accusations of infiltration have hindered the opposition’s response.

Before the opposition can seriously challenge ZANU-PF’s rule, it has to resolve these internal problems and come together behind a shared vision for Zimbabwe’s future.

The opposition’s stance on the crackdown has also drawn attention to a bigger issue, which is the need for further international assistance.

Sanctions have been applied on Zimbabwean authorities, but little has been done to force the government to take meaningful reforms.

Therefore, in order to garner more international support, the opposition must use organizations like SADC and the African Union to advocate for a closer examination of Zimbabwe’s human rights record.

The government’s persistent repression of dissenting voices is the biggest barrier standing in Zimbabwe’s way of achieving democracy.

Without substantial judicial changes, an end to the impunity culture, and a cohesive opposition capable of subverting ZANU-PF’s hegemony, the country faces the danger of devolving even deeper into authoritarianism.

But as history has shown, the stronger a regime’s adversaries become, the harsher its punishments become.

Despite the fact that their struggles have made activists, opposition leaders, and regular Zimbabweans increasingly bitter, their ideal of a democratic Zimbabwe will not go away. The world cannot overlook the ongoing struggle for freedom.

More: The Zim Bulletin