Mnangagwa a prime candidate for the ICC: MDC

By Albert Nxumalo

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has lashed out at the United Nations and African Union for allegedly being lenient on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government in the process letting Zimbabweans down by failing to drag Mnangagwa before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.

MDC labelled President Mnangagwa as a prime candidate for the ICC “because of heinous crimes against humanity by rogue elements of the army who twice callously murdered innocent Zimbabweans in a space of five months under his watch”.

In a statement Monday, MDC Deputy National spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said Zimbabwe is ripe for international intervention claiming that President Mnangagwa has committed gross human rights violations.

However, despite both organisations having instruments to bring human rights abusers to book they are treating Mnangagwa with kid-gloves, suggested Tamborinyoka.

“The United Nations Security Council has let Zimbabwe down by failing to drag Mr. Mnangagwa before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity” said Tamborinyoka.

“While Zimbabwe is not a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC, there is a precedent of the world body not folding its hands when non-State parties have grossly abused human rights.

Tambotinyoka added: “The UN Security Council intervened in Sudan in 2005 and in Libya in 2011 when the respective countries’ leaders were fingered in crimes against humanity. Notwithstanding the excesses of the big powers in Libya in 2011, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) remains a noble principle that should send a clear and unequivocal message to killer governments such as the Mnangagwa regime”.

MDC view Mnangagwa as an illegitimate president.

On the continental body Tamborenyika said, “Africa has also let Zimbabweans down as she has adequate provisions under Article 4 (h) of the constitutive Act of the African Union that allows the regional body to intervene in member States in respect of “grave circumstances.”

The MDC spokesperson said no government elected by the people can kill the very people who voted for it unless such a government has no mandate from the people.

“He (Mnangwagwa) has dismally failed to compensate aggrieved families of the State-instigated murders in line with the recommendations of an international investigation committee that he commissioned himself”.

According to Tamborinyoka, Mnangagwa has ‘lied’ to the international community that victims of  August 1, 2018 killings in Harare have been compensated “when in fact orphans and families of the State-sanctioned murders are wallowing in abject poverty”.

“The orphans of the six victims of the August 1, 2018 murders are failing to go to school and are scrounging for food while the murderers are still to be prosecuted, in spite of Mnangagwa lying to the world that he has complied with the recommendations of the Mothlante Commission”.

The Commission found the police and the army liable for the murders “which makes Mnangagwa personally culpable because he is commander-in-chief of the military, whose rogue elements needlessly snuffed out the lives of the six innocent Zimbabweans”.

Recently, the European Union (EU) urged Mnangagwa’s administration to implement the recommendations of the former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry “without further delay”

Motlanthe led a commission of inquiry into the killings of civilians following the July 2018 elections.

Among the recommendations were that those who were accused of being responsible for the killings should be prosecuted, but the government is yet to implement those recommendations.

Tamborinyoka then warned of “robust” action against the government.

“Zimbabweans will soon be taking it upon themselves to engage in a robust but legitimate call for the true people’s government they voted for in 2018”.

MDC, in its 2020 Agenda programme it vowed to be a year of action ” when something must and will give. This year is our revolutionary moment”.