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MDC-T, trying to deflect public attention from its in-house problems and seeking relevance on a socio-political stage where it is increasingly becoming a sideshow, has been making inflammatory speeches lately. The party, from its under-fire leader, Morgan Tsvangirai to its youth wing has in recent weeks threatened to launch nationwide demonstrations to protest against alleged Zanu-PF mishandling of the economy.  It goes without saying that, the claim to show anger over the economic situation is a euphemism for attempting to overthrow the democratically elected Zanu-PF government or simply to make the country difficult to govern.

Many suggest that the rhetoric is meant to divert the spotlight from the ongoing internal contestation over whether the party should retain Tsvangirai as leader or to renew the top order now before congress in 2018.  Tsvangirai is refusing to go, but a clique, said to be led by party secretary-general, Tendai Biti is scheming to oust the former trade unionist. They are questioning his leadership credentials and are angry over his failure to win all the elections he has led his party into over the past 14 years.

The contest has claimed four senior party members already, Elton Mangoma, Jacob Mafume, Last Maengahama and Promise Mkwananzi while scores of their supporters are being chased out of the party across the country.  It has been a national conflagration indeed which the MDC-T thinks it can minimise by shifting its focus to anti-government protests.

But, in his Independence Day speech in Harare yesterday, President Mugabe warned that violence was unacceptable.  There is nothing wrong with protests, the President said, as long as they are peaceful.  However, there is everything wrong with violent protests.

“We want to mention that we shall never tolerate acts of violence,” he said.

“If there are going to be protests, protests that are non-violent that the police have given permission to that’s a different matter. But if people are going to go out merely to create violence because they are being instigated by some NGOs which don’t want the Zanu-PF government to continue to rule then they are mistaken in their belief that they can succeed.

“They must look at us and look at our history.  They must not mistake our silence for incapacity, that we are tired. We will deal with them. Even this 90-year-old man can pack a 90-tonne punch. I will floor you!’’

It is a peaceful disposition that characterises the politics of his party Zanu-PF. It is the politics that has contributed to its clean electoral victories over the years, particularly the last one in July.

It is useful to note that the President did not only address the  external violence that MDC-T is warning of, but also that which Tsvangirai’s henchmen have visited upon the former Prime Minister’s internal opponents. Violence is violence and is condemnable wherever it occurs.

The President’s message on a day when we marked 34 years of independence must be listened to by everyone, in particular those that are planning disorderly politics for cheap relevance.

Zimbabweans know that MDC-T thrives on violence and chaos. Tsvangirai himself speaks violence. Many will remember his outburst a few years ago, “What I want to tell (President) Mugabe today is ‘go peacefully, if you don’t go peacefully we will get you out violently.’”

It was a potentially treasonable diatribe, targeted at a sitting Head of State which went unpunished. When a person who seeks public office speaks as Tsvangirai has done before and continues to, peace-loving Zimbabweans get concerned. This is so because previous protests have targeted public infrastructure, the public and police stations at which innocent police details were killed.

We must aspire for peace all the time, and any political contestation must be civilised.

Elections were held last July in a free and peaceful environment. The people spoke, resoundingly voting for Zanu-PF and shunning Tsvangirai and his MDC-T. The elections were adjudged, free, fair, credible and a true reflection of the will of the electorate by all countries that had observers here.  Therefore, there is no need for anyone to want to be heard through violent demonstrations for a change of government when democracy has already spoken.

The message to Tsvangirai is, he must restrain himself and his gangsters who have transformed Harvest House and party offices countrywide into war zones. If he cannot do that, then the law would help him, as the President warned yesterday. MDC-T has actually become a sideshow in national politics but they cannot enhance their flagging fortunes through violence.