My colleague who was arrested on Saturday has still not been released, nor have any of the other 45 detainees including Munyaradzi Gwisai and Hopewell Gumbo. Seven of them were meant to appear in court today and were expected to be charged as organisers of the Saturday meeting – the remainder, including my colleague, thought they would be going home today. Instead, no one appeared in court, and it sounds like police are applying for a warrant for further detention.

I am angered enough by the fact of these 46 people festering in police cells for four nights for no good reason. I’m even more angered by reports that some have been tortured in police custody. Gwisai, for example, reportedly needs help to walk, he has been so badly beaten.

I’m further angered by the reason why these 46 are in custody: They were having a discussion about recent events in North Africa. They watched a video of news clips – the same news clips anyone with satellite television or YouTube access could have watched for themselves.

Some people argue this is a positive development – like look, the regime is scared enough to take this meeting seriously. Others find a silver lining, in that this prolonged detention has sparked email petitions and Facebook pages and news headline and barroom discussions that would otherwise not have happened – like if the regime hadn’t made such a big deal by arresting these people, the meeting would have come and gone and barely made a ripple. Now? There are waves.

But me? I’m just angry. I’m angry and I want them out now.

I’m angry because it’s events like this that put paid to the big lie which is the GPA. It’s not an inclusive government; it’s a regime in Fat Face’s clothing.

I’m angry at myself – for naively thinking that these 46 wouldn’t be arrested when the police appeared at the meeting, and then for thinking that they would be released on Monday, and then for thinking that they would be released on Tuesday. And I’m angry with myself for allowing myself to become so inured to this regime that the fact of the police at the meeting seems normal.

And I’m angry for not having any idea about where to take this anger – for having no idea of a constructive outlet for it. What can I do for my colleague and these 45 other individuals? Who can I appeal to with any hope of success? I feel like the people who might listen don’t have any power. And the people who have power would never listen.

Beggars in Zimbabwe used to be so gentle and they would ask for ‘rubatsiro’ (help), and it was so touching you would be moved to give them something. You would give away a dollar or think of the meal you threw away last night or the clothes in your wardrobe that you no longer wear. Gone are those days. Begging is more of a profession in Zimbabwe now because not only do the beggars stand at traffic lights but they are also roaming shopping malls in the car parks. They beg using various stories to lure potential donors. Of late they have become fiercer when they demand, and you are scared into giving. They even demand the drink you are having. Anything they see in you car or holding, they want. It’s inevitable . . . in the future they are just going to grab.

I am moved by beggars because I feel most of us Zimbabweans have a ‘beggar being’ in them. We beg for human security. We beg to have the security to know that if one is to fall ill today, they can afford to pay their medical bills. University graduates beg to have jobs in the different sectors of their field of study and expertise. Individuals beg to move freely in the streets of downtown Harare and not fear pocket snatchers. Journalists and activists beg to have a voice that can be heard and their freedom of expression. Citizens beg to have a decent roof over their heads and have the basic life needs, like water and electricity.

And today I beg for human rights to be respected in Zimbabwe.

When you have never had your basic human rights violated, you are quick to say whatever and brush it aside with some pity. But when it gets to you or your loved ones or someone you know it gets disturbing and worrisome. I received a text message from a colleague telling me they were arrested at a meeting they had attended. I was then shocked to learn that all 46 students and union members, who were attending the academic discussion of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) Zimbabwe, had been arrested and detained at a police station. They are being charged with trying to throw out the government by unconstitutional means.

Freedom of speech, the right to assemble and hold a discussion is a fundamental democratic right. But this seems not to apply to Zimbabwe. The arrest of the organizer and the people attending this meeting is a violation of internationally recognised democratic and human rights.

News from Tunisia and Egypt is available on mainstream media to be seen and read 46% of Zimbabweans view satellite channels as revealed by the ZAMPS survey released this month. The same survey also showed an increase in the use of Internet in Zimbabwe.

So honestly what is the big deal if 46 people gathered to watch what everyone else has been watching?

The South Africa Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) has just published this statement:

SAMWU PRESS STATEMENT

22 February 2011

This Union is outraged at the arrest of 52 activists in Harare on 19th February by armed security personnel. It appears that their only ‘crime’ was to be part of a discussion group, with a film examining recent events in Egypt and the Middle East.  They are all currently being detained in Harare Central Prison. This unprovoked attack on a peaceful political education session is indicative of the type of terror that was unleashed by ZANU-PF in the run up to the last elections.

The purpose then as now, is clearly to instil fear into the general population in an attempt to demobilise democratic forces from asserting their rights. ZANU-PF has made it clear that they intend to win the next elections, even without an agreed constitution in place, and to win it by any means.

Zimbabwe continues to be in a state of siege. The working class and the poor continue to bear the brunt of the prolonged economic crisis while those in positions of power enjoy all that money can buy.  It is therefore imperative that those who wish to see a peaceful and prosperous Zimbabwe, where all are able to share in the resources of the country, must speak out when such attacks take place. They do not belong in a democratic society, and are a crude attempt to intimidate those courageous enough to say that another Zimbabwe is possible.

We demand that the 52 persons arrested be immediately released, and that if any charges are brought against them, that they be vigorously challenged and decisively refuted as justice demands they be. Furthermore, that those who disrupted this peaceful gathering be called to account and be exposed for what they are, wreckers of democracy.

On Saturday evening I got a text message saying that a member of our Kubatana team had been arrested and was being detained at Harare Central Police Station. His crime? Attending a public meeting convened by the International Socialist Organisation (ISO). ISO felt it useful to bring together members of the public and colleagues in civil society to discuss the events in Egypt.

A paranoid regime responds just like the Mugabe one did on Saturday. It closed the meeting down. Arrested everybody. And held them until Monday morning without allowing them any legal representation.

Stupid bully boys.

The events in Egypt have been broadcast by all major media houses and many Zimbabweans have gotten to hear and see the effects of people power – it brought Mubarak down. And if all the moons and the stars alike align, it will bring Mugabe down too. The more you suppress dissent and the more you rule with an iron fist, the more the people will Hate you. Its not rocket science, its pure fact.

My mother always liked to use the phrase: its like farting against thunder.

That’s exactly what Mugabe and his authoritarian regime are doing in Zimbabwe. They can puff and puff all they like, but eventually they’ll suffocate themselves through suppressing the will of the people.

As we said in our latest Kubatana newsletter:

Sit at the feet of the master long enough, and they’ll start to smell.
~ John Sauget

And many of us are enough of the stench.

If media reports are to be believed social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are being credited with driving the recent overthrow of North African dictators. In light of this, speculation is rife about staging a similar event in Zimbabwe.

I recently received an email from an individual or group who are trying to organise a similar uprising. To my understanding all communication about this meeting has been via the Internet. I hope that while they have taken notes from the afore-mentioned revolutions, they are aware that it is not possible to replicate them here.

Traditional media such as print, radio and television are strictly controlled by the government for a reason. They have a reach and influence over the vast majority of Zimbabweans that is not yet paralleled by any emerging new media. Internet penetration is estimated at a rate of 24% of adults living in urban centres. Popular revolts are not powered by the comfortable urban middle classes, who in Zimbabwe’s case make up the majority of those who have regular access to the Internet, they are powered by the young and idealistic.

While Zimbabwe’s youth are ripe for driving a revolution, the recent demonstrations and violence against foreign business owners in support of Indigenisation suggest that they are a political tool, rather than a tool for change. They have unwavering and what is more dangerous unquestioning support for the political parties they are aligned to.  Zimbabwe has yet to see a youth wing or movement that is more powerful or has greater influence than those established by political parties.

Revolutions have no blueprints, and as Trevor Ncube rightly states in his reflections on recent events “Zimbabwe is neither Tunisia nor Egypt”.

My passport is expiring soon, so I get to look forward to a visit to Makombe Complex in the near future.  Great!  Going there always proves to be an unforgettable experience, don’t you find?  The thought of it arouses the same feelings as one would get when scheduling a dentist’s appointment – except you  can anticipate more pain.

I admit that I could be more positive about the whole idea given that it also holds the promise of remarkable things.  For instance, I’ll be met by hundreds and hundreds of people, all welcoming me to the unbelievable day that lies ahead.   And this well before I’ve even entered the complex.  It’s good to have Zimbabwean people from every corner of the country coming together for one cause.

The R.G.’s office also boasts staff of note.  I’ve often wondered how so many people, with the same disposition, came to be employed and work in the same place.  These folk are really keen to get the job done such that they don’t even have time to smile or to use time-wasting words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.  The staff members are also excellent listeners, waiting for you to recount your entire story before passing you on to another colleague so that you can retell it once again … from the beginning.

Every circus must be kept running by its operational procedures.  Makombe has its share, complete with coded forms to be filled in black ink only and innumerable rules such as, ‘bribing officials is strictly prohibited’.  Part of the process involves an extensive tour of the complex as one is referred from officer to officer, and moved from room 213 to window 24 (logically).  The efficiency of these systems is clear from the backlog figures consistently reported.

Thus, in my new frame of mind, I’m prepared to be overwhelmed by every smell and I submit myself to learn a thorough lesson in patience.  I look forward to sharpening my skills in deciphering ambiguous instructions and navigating difficult situations.  And when it is all over, I’ll take comfort in the knowledge that this visit will not be the last.  The unique experience will be repeated many more times in my life – to rectify errors, to check if the document is ready, should I lose the document, when I get married, when I have a child, when that child needs an ID and passport, and then I’ll have another child …