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THE extensive destruction of property, looting on a grand scale never before seen in Zimbabwe, the brazen disregard for authority exhibited by drunken youths who attacked more than 30 police officers in Bulawayo, killing one of them, the mayhem and disruption of public life during the three days beginning Monday last week should jerk people out of their comfort zones and make them confront the stark reality that stay aways and violent protests are retrogressive.

No sane Zimbabwean has an appetite for a second round of protests as mooted by organisers of last week’s terror attacks because of the attendant chaos and anarchy they bring. Businesses, particularly in Bulawayo, have been ruined, families’ impoverished and whole communities have been deprived of basic amenities such as shopping centres as a direct consequence of the actions of looters and other malcontents supposedly demonstrating against fuel price hikes and the high cost of living.

From the comforts of their “hideouts”, leaders of such outfits as Tajamuka, Occupy Africa Unity Square, This Flag, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, General Consensus, Citizen Manifesto and Concerned Citizens Agenda under the umbrella of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition have been calling for a fresh round of protests this week notwithstanding the violence experienced last week.

They are utilising a US$2 million war chest provided by two Western countries to destabilise the Government and set the stage for an uprising to topple the legitimately elected Government of Zimbabwe. Clearly not satisfied with the carnage of last week’s events, these pressure groups are angling for a larger body count to build a critical mass for its anti-Government offensive.

There is also another onslaught being launched at the African Union where the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has urged the continental body, through a petition to its chair Rwandan President Paul Kagame, to intervene in Zimbabwe to stop purported human rights abuses against “citizens”.

Thankfully, security services in the country intervened timeously and stopped the pressure groups’ nefarious plans in their tracks by containing the terror attacks before more lives were lost. We wish to applaud the gallant men and women in the police force, the Zimbabwe National Army and other security agencies for the manner in which they helped quell a potentially volatile situation and ensure that it does not get out of hand.

We implore them to remain vigilant in the wake of threats of more protests this week. In the same vein, we urge the organisers of these protests to give peace a chance and let Zimbabweans rebuild their lives from the ashes of last week’s carnage. The country has suffered enough and deserves an opportunity to go back to normality. In this regard, we feel these pressure groups should heed warning from the country’s security services that they should not continue with their destructive plans this week.

Addressing a joint Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) press conference in Harare on Saturday night, ZDF director of public relations Colonel Overson Mugwisi said law enforcement agents were ready to apply the law “without fear or favour”.

“The Zimbabwe Defence Forces and security services have also noted with concern the misinformation campaign by the organisers of the recent riots, who are using the media to urge members of the public and business to continue engaging in the so called “shutdown”, which has led to a trail of destruction, loss of life and injury to citizens.

“The security services want to reiterate the assurance by Government that adequate security has been put in place to ensure members of the public and business go about their activities without hindrance.

“The Zimbabwe Defence Forces and security services remain committed to the provision of safety and security to all members of the public. In the same vein, we want to warn those bent on causing mayhem that the law will be applied without fear or favour,” said Colonel Mugwisi. ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Charity Charamba said there has been an increase in the number of cases of people committing crime, particularly robberies, while clad in military or police regalia.

Five people who disguised themselves as security agents to commit various offences have since been arrested.

“Some of these uniforms worn by criminals were seized by rogue elements during the recent riots in Epworth and Chegutu. A case in point is a recent arrest of five armed robbers in Epworth, Harare, on 14 January, who were using police and military regalia to commit armed robberies after hiring vehicles from car-rental companies.

“We are giving an ultimatum to individuals who have retired, deserted, and absented themselves without official leave (AWOL) from services to immediately handover uniforms either to the police or the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

“All those who do not comply with this directive will be flushed out by already deployed members of the security services,” she said.

We hope the organisers of the violent protests and other criminal elements have been put on notice.