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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
VICE President Emmerson Mnangagwa has condemned violent protests that rocked some parts of Harare last week and said the actions of lumpen elements in the country’s opposition parties were unconstitutional.

Speaking on the sidelines of a Methodist Church District convention for women in Kwekwe where he had gone to witness his wife Cde Auxilia Mnangagwa receive confirmation into the church’s Ruwadzano group, the VP said the country’s laws do not allow anyone to violate the rights of others.

His remarks follow last week’s orgy of violence in Harare unleashed by members of opposition parties under the banner, National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera).

“On violence, I wasn’t in Harare but I’m told that there were some demonstrations which were violent. Our constitution allows people to demonstrate but it doesn’t allow people to violate the rights of other people or to violate the property of others,” said the VP.

“I understand there was violence which resulted in some people being injured and some properties being destroyed. That’s un-Zimbabwean, its un-African and its unconstitutional, that must stop in our view.”

VP Mnangagwa said he believes that Zimbabweans are a mature people who should accept divergent views and when they demonstrate they should do so peacefully.

He said accepting other people’s views was the only way the country can prosper.

“We can only build our nation by accepting that your fellow citizen might have a good idea, you listen and it’s out of debate and discussion that the best comes out. But those who then resort to violence, it only depicts their lack of understanding, their lack of the depth of appreciation of developments in our country,” the VP said.

Turning to food security, VP Mnangagwa said the country has enough food reserves.

He said the country was getting maize from Zambia, South Africa, Mexico and Ukraine.

“There was a time when we only had one month food cover. I chair the Food Security Utility cluster which deals with the importation of food into the country. In the last eight to 10 weeks we have been able to bring into the country enough maize which covers food deficiency of up to six and half months. I believe that by October or November we should have up to 10 months cover and we are happy that we have been successful in bringing in maize,” VP Mnangagwa said. — @pchitumba1