Jestina Mukoko, desert flower who dared break the deafening silence to speak truth to power. By Wilbert Mulori

The, up to now, unspoken truth of Mugabe and Zanu PF’s corrupt and murderous reign of terror is now coming out. The nation welcomes the launch of Jestina Mukoko’s book giving the details of her ordeal at the hands of the regime.

 

“The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) national director exposed the horror of the Mugabe regime, recording in detail for the first time, her 21-day torture ordeal,” reported Nehanda Radio.

 

“She details how she risked being murdered after her December 2, 2008 abduction.

 

“Mukoko’s harrowing testament is contained in the book The Abduction and Trial of Jestina Mukoko – The Fight for Human Rights in Zimbabwe.”

 

We are in this hell-hole today because as a nation we have failed to stand up and say no even when the situation demanded it. When Jestina Mukoko was abducted, as happened to many others before her; the nation responded with the usual deafening silence.  

2008 was a particularly bad year in Zimbabwe; that was the year Mugabe unleashed the worst politically motivated wanton violence in the country’s history. Mugabe lost the March presidential vote to Tsvangirai but cooked up the results to justify a run-off. To make sure he will win the run-off, he launched operation “Mavhotera papi!” (Whom did you vote for!). Millions of Zimbabweans were harassed, beaten and raped in the ensuing violence. Over 500 were murdered in cold blood.

 

What made operation Mavhotera papi particularly nauseating is that the Police, CIO and Army personal did not just turn a blind eye to the Zanu PF orchestrated violence, which is the norm, they were actively involved. It was State security agents who abducted and tortured Jestina Mukoko in tail end of operation Mavhotera papi.

 

If the regime is using the State security agents to deny the people their freedoms and rights, the very institutions to whom the people have to turn for protection; to whom then are the people to turn!

 

What should be noted here is not only has Mugabe corrupted the Police into abandoning their public duty of protecting the people to become his murderous thugs but most important of all he has got away with murder. Mugabe has ridden roughshod over our freedoms and human dignity without a moment’s hesitation because he was cocksure he will get away with it! His Zanu PF cronies like Didymus Mutasa who helped him create and nurture this Zanu PF monster too thought they will get away with murder.

 

Didymus Mutasa was the minister responsible for the CIO at the time of the abduction of Jestina Mukoko. He knew the State Agents who abducted and torture her but refuse to name them under the pretext he feared prosecution under the Official Secrecy Act.  

So Didymus Mutasa places greater emphasis on his oath to secrecy to a tyrant than he does to his oath to the nation to uphold the nation's integrity, constitution and, above all, to protect human life!

 

Comrade Mutasa and a number of his fellow Zanu PF thugs have since been booted out of Zanu PF, they are now fighting Mugabe to get back on the gravy train. Mutasa and his ZimPF friends want to get back into power before they have even bothered to wash the hands red with the blood of the over 30 000 Zanu PF has had murdered by confessing their role in the reign of terror! They are all cocksure the Zimbabwe public will not even notice the blood on their hands!

 

Tyrants like Mugabe and his cronies like Didymus Mutasa have committed serious human rights violation for the last 36 years because we, the people, have encouraged them to by our do-nothing, hear-nothing, see-nothing and say-nothing attitude. Jestina Mukoko was abducted and tortured by the regime because she had dared speak the truth to power!

 

Faced with evil, only worse evil has ever come out of doing nothing about it!

After torturing her, the regime thought it had silenced her; but in writing her book, a permanent record for all time of this murderous regime’s inhumanity to its own people, she is back denouncing the regime from the roof top.  
 

I am pleased and proud that Jestina Mukoko has produced her book about her ordeal. Zimbabwe would not be in the political and economic mess she is in today if only we have more Zimbabweans like her who will speak out in defence of freedom, liberty and justice even when their own freedom, liberty and very lives are on the line.

 

Zimbabwe has suffered a litany of serious human rights violation and economic ruin because of rampant corruption and mismanagement because we had corrupt, incompetent and murderous leaders, yes. But dig deeper and you will find all these things happened because by failing to speak out we failed to nip them in the bud!

 

I salute Jestina Mukoko for speaking out, speaking truth to power, and breaking the deafening silence! She is the rare desert flower that blooms in adversity!