The struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe is entering a new chapter and the ruling party is showing the world that it will do anything to hold onto power. The arrest of Job Sikhala and 39 others in Penhalonga is not just another crackdown. It is a clear sign that ZANU PF is afraid. They are afraid of dialogue. They are afraid of movements like the National Democratic Working Group that dare to gather citizens and talk about the future of the country. They are afraid of change.
Job Sikhala is not a stranger to persecution. He has been jailed before for standing up to tyranny. This time he was arrested with other citizens during a peaceful NDWG meeting. This was not a political rally. It was not a protest. It was a civic engagement initiative. But the government twisted the narrative. They deployed heavy police presence, beat people, and dragged them into cells. The arrest was not just about stopping that one meeting. It was about sending a chilling message across the nation. If you stand up for change, they will come for you.
The brutality of the arrest is difficult to describe. It started with plainclothes CIO agents observing the meeting from a dark-windowed Toyota Hilux. Then came a vehicle without plates, full of police intelligence officers. Minutes later riot police armed with AK-47s stormed the venue and began beating everyone. People were kicked, shoved, and harassed. One officer pointed a loaded gun at Dr. Wurayayi Zembe and threatened to shoot him. This is the reality of Zimbabwe today. Speaking out is treated like a crime. Organizing peacefully is treated like treason.
Sikhala was eventually released alongside the 39 others. But their chief national organiser, Engineer Joelson Mugari, remained behind bars. The police denied him access to his medication. His health deteriorated until activists demanded his transfer to Mutare General Hospital. That is the level of cruelty we are dealing with. ZANU PF does not care about the lives of its people. It only cares about protecting its hold on power at all costs.
What is worse is how the police tried to use the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act to justify the arrests. But the law is clear. Private executive meetings do not require police clearance. ZANU PF holds its politburo meetings without asking for permission. So why must activists be treated like criminals for doing the same? It is hypocrisy. It is weaponisation of the law. It is fear disguised as law enforcement.
The arrested citizens were taken in the rain, soaked and cold, forced into pickup trucks like livestock. They were dumped at Penhalonga Police Station and made to sit on a dirty floor. Later they were taken to Mutare Central. No proper charges. No justice. Just intimidation. Four leaders including Sikhala and Mugari were picked for interrogation. The goal was not to gather facts. The goal was to break their spirit.
But their spirit remains unbroken. The regime’s desperation is showing. Factional fights inside ZANU PF are escalating. The economy is on its knees. Youth unemployment is soaring. And instead of governing, they are arresting citizens. Instead of building, they are beating people. This is not leadership. This is panic.
ZANU PF knows the people are waking up. They know the lies are no longer working. And that is why they are tightening their grip. But the people of Zimbabwe will not be silenced forever. They are tired. Tired of poverty. Tired of corruption. Tired of the violence.
Change is coming whether ZANU PF likes it or not. No regime can survive forever by ruling through fear. The world is watching. And history is waiting to write the final chapter of this dictatorship. The people will write that chapter with their courage.
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