ON December 1, in Harare’s Mbare suburb, a group of Zanu PF zealots stepped forward and declared the formation of an “anti-presidential criticism” unit, a vigilante outfit openly claiming authority to police the thoughts, speech, and opinions of Zimbabwean citizens. It was a chilling moment, one that should alarm every person who believes in freedom.
In one crude press gathering, Zimbabwe took a dangerous step closer to George Orwell’s 1984, not as literature, but as lived reality.
What these zealots announced is not politics. It is not patriotism. It is the institutionalisation of fear. It is an attempt to drag Zimbabwe into a political darkness where citizens whisper in markets, watch their backs in kombis, and think twice before speaking their minds. This is the birth of a modern Thought Police – and it is being introduced with the arrogance of those who believe they will never be held accountable.
The creation of this vigilante group represents a direct and hostile assault on democratic space. In a functioning democracy, the right to criticise leadership is sacrosanct. It is the oxygen that keeps a nation alive. When those in power begin to criminalise dissent, when they deploy foot soldiers to monitor and attack citizens for expressing their views, the message is unmistakable: democracy is no longer a system of governance, but an obstacle to be eliminated.
This development is not merely an overzealous misstep. It is a calculated move to shield misgovernance from scrutiny. A leadership that welcomes such vigilantism is a leadership that fears the truth. It fears an informed citizenry. And it fears a nation that has finally had enough of corruption, incompetence, and unending economic decay.
By silencing critics, the corrupt hope to operate with impunity, in the shadows, unchecked and unchallenged.
Zimbabweans have seen this script before. The tactics are textbook authoritarianism: create fear, manufacture enemies, redefine patriotism as blind loyalty, and brand anyone demanding accountability as a traitor. This is the same logic that drove the Gukurahundi massacres, the same logic that fuelled the violence of 2008, and the same logic that keeps millions in poverty today while a small elite enriches itself.
What is unfolding in Mbare is not about protecting the president. It is about protecting the corrupt ecosystem around him – those who profit from tenders, from state capture, from looting public institutions. It is about crushing the growing anger of a young generation that refuses to inherit a broken country without fighting back.
And so the question becomes: What must patriotic young Zimbabweans do in the face of this rising authoritarianism? The answer is simple, but it demands courage.
They must refuse to be intimidated. They must guard democratic space with vigilance, because once it is lost, it may take generations to regain. They must continue to speak out against corruption, abuse of office, and political intimidation – not because it is safe, but because it is necessary. Silence is the soil in which tyranny grows.
Young Zimbabweans must expose these vigilante actors, document their intimidation, and challenge their illegal operations through every civic and legal avenue available. They must refuse to let fear divide them. This moment demands unity, clarity, and a deep love for Zimbabwe, not the false patriotism preached by those who loot it, but the genuine patriotism of citizens who want a just, free, and prosperous nation.
History will remember this moment. It will recall whether Zimbabwe’s youth bowed to fear, or stood firm when their country needed them the most. It will record whether we allowed a small band of political zealots to annex our freedoms, or whether we understood that freedom must be defended loudly, consistently, and courageously.
Zimbabwe is not a private estate. It does not belong to a political party, a faction, or a vigilante squad. It belongs to its people. And no amount of intimidation will change that truth.
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