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Zimbabwe has been gripped by the culture of violence and it seems society no longer respects the sanctity of life. People are killing each other over petty issues and what is worrying is that the situation is getting worse by each passing day.

The police warnings for people not to resort to violence to resolve disputes are falling on deaf ears hence the upsurge in murder cases. Hardly a day passes without reading a story of a person murdered in a fight and in most cases the fights are over petty issues.

Yesterday this paper carried a story of a 23- year-old man, Mr Mthokozisi Ndlovu from Filabuis who was fatally assaulted by four men who accused him of stealing a dog and a satchel.

The four men could have effected a citizen’s arrest and taken Mr Ndlovu to the police if they suspected he committed the alleged crime but instead they decided to mete out punishment themselves resulting in his death.

A week ago, an injiva allegedly killed his wife in Gweru for refusing to go back with him to Cape Town in South Africa. John Mazani (33) who is on the run, allegedly stabbed his wife, Everjoy Ncube after she refused to go back to SA with him accusing him of being abusive.

Many murder cases have been reported recently and this is a real cause for concern. Many of these murder cases could have been avoided had individuals involved in the disputes sought assistance from third parties. In the past individuals that engaged in violence were punished severely or even banished from communities.

Killing a person was taboo and those who dared kill made the whole clan pay for their sins.

The clan was made to pay several beasts and in some cases were forced to provide a woman to be married by the deceased’s relative. The punishment, we want to believe, was deterrent hence there were few cases of murder cases in the past.

The situation has dramatically changed now as individuals are being killed willy-nilly and in most cases over trivial issues.  What is disturbing is that it seems society has accepted this as a norm.  About 75 percent of pending cases at the High Court are murder cases which is a very worrying trend.

The challenge to community leaders such as village heads, chiefs, church leaders and political leaders is to restore moral values whereby individuals dread engaging in violence for fear of reprisals from society.

Those that choose to engage in violence should be declared outcasts and our courts should assist by incarcerating them for long periods.

The gospel of co-existence should be preached by each and every Zimbabwean and the message should be loud and clear that Zimbabwe does not tolerate violence.

Zimbabweans should shun all forms of violence and respect the sanctity of life as was the case in the past.