Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson Rashid Mahiya says the first and the second republic are the same, adding that the only difference is that the latter is more brutal and has no shame.
Speaking in an interview on OpenParly in-depth Mahiya said the Emmerson Mnangagwa regime is a continuation of the Robert Mugabe regime.
He said all the wrong things that people do not expect the government to do is exactly what it does.
“The second republic is a continuation of the last one but this one is less sophisticated, more brutal and has no shame.
“You would see them shooting people in the streets, ordinary Zimbabweans unarmed, and can that happen in a country that’s called a second republic?
“You can look at the number of civil society organizations activists and opposition activists charged with treason. I am one of them I am still charged.
“You also look at the number of civil society activists that have been incarcerated. You look at the reasons why people are being incarcerated for pointing out the corruption that is taking place. All the unexpected is what you see from the government.
“They think this country practically belongs to them, they think it’s a personal project and they have no respect for the rights of the citizens.
“When there is corruption and organizations raise the issues around corruption the government has problems with that. When there are human rights violations taking place and organizations are working and monitoring those issues the government has a problem with that.
“Just because the government does not want to be held accountable, they paint the organizations as advocating for a foreign agenda.
“The development of our country is our business, as citizens, we can organize ourselves in any form which is provided for by the law and hold the government to account. We should continue to do that,” he said.
Rashid Mahiya: The Second Republic is less Sophisticated, more brutal and has no shame
