Chamisa’s abduction antics are mischievous

A36-SECOND amateur video surfaced at the weekend, showing someone in a dominant red shirt stepping into the backseat of a Toyota Harrier with about six men on the side of the vehicle. The man in red is actually walking at some speed into the car with no one pulling or pushing him into it. Just as he is about to take his seat, another wearing a suit, pulls him out. As he is snatching him out, no one is fighting to keep the man in red in the car. Someone in a red cap and a blue sports jacket with red patches running down on both arms is keeping the front passenger door open as another, in a red short-sleeved shirt, actually sneaks in alone and under no duress through that door. The man who sneaks in to the front passenger seat does so exactly the moment the one who had taken the backseat is pulled out. The same man apparently changes his mind, comes out of the front passenger seat and jumps into the rear seat from which the other one had been pulled. The clip becomes unclear from then on, but the Toyota is seen taking off at high speed. As it drives off, the man in red, who had, alone, earlier taken the front passenger seat, later moving unforced to the rear seat, is seen dropping out of the vehicle.

In halting English, a male voice renders a commentary of the “live coverage of Zanu-PF supporters” who wanted to attack “president Advocate Honourable Nelson Chamisa.”

It is announced on social media, with characteristic opposition flourish that MDC president Mr Chamisa had escaped, rather his security men had “foiled,” an abduction attempt on him and that one of his guards who had been “forced” in the Harrier “managed to jump out” of the car as it sped away.

The world is rolling with laughter at this poorly-scripted theatrical piece of work which is meant to send a message that the ruling party and Government agents wanted to seize Mr Chamisa. It is meant to portray a lawless and insecure country in which an opposition leader could be seized in broad daylight by the ruling party and Government security agents.

It has now emerged that the video does not capture an abduction bid on Mr Chamisa, but a road rage incident that he allegedly provoked.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa made it clear on Sunday that the Toyota Harrier was not Government property and those using it were private citizens going about their business before Mr Chamisa pounced on them.

“Government is dismayed at the imputation that State agents would attempt to abduct opposition leaders,” she said.

“That notion is not only false, but also mischievous, moreso taken in light of the efforts by Government to harmonise all laws and practices with the Constitution. For the avoidance of doubt, the CIO was not involved in this reported incident which is now under police investigation. The Government would like to categorically state that neither the intelligence services nor any security services or any arm of Government owns the Toyota Harrier in that video.”

Indeed many have noted with much dismay Mr Chamisa’s attempt to implicate law enforcement agents in an ordinary fracas of his making. They see a desperate man scrounging for attention from a country and world that has better things to do. Every sensible person who has seen the clip will note that there is nothing more to it than a clash between Mr Chamisa and citizens over the use of a public road. They have seen his attempt to profit politically from a flawed propaganda attempt.

As expected, the opposition leader came under a barrage of attacks for his antics. He took to twitter to try to explain himself.

“I sympathise with those driven by lies and malice who rush to claim that threats to life are false. Far from it. Threats to my life are real and have been made before, in broad daylight. The Saturday incident was horrible. I’m concerned about the security situation in our country!” Mr Chamisa tweeted yesterday.

It is telling that the clip of the alleged abduction bid is conspicuously absent from his social media accounts.

Yes, some may have laughed off Mr Chamisa’s flawed propaganda but we are deeply displeased by his antics to portray the Government and country in bad light for no reason. He wants the world to believe that we are a lawless country in which no one is safe. This is an attack on the Government’s efforts to attract investment, tourists and international goodwill. The good thing, however, is that serious investors always interrogate situations so in the case of the weekend clip, they will note that this was an ordinary incident that cannot discourage them from putting their money here.

We have no doubt that the Government has no reason wasting scarce resources trailing Mr Chamisa or any citizen for that matter. Zanu-PF has no reason shadowing a man whom it soundly defeated in the recent elections. The ruling party, through its Government, is working to implement its election-winning manifesto turning around the economy, delivering jobs, attracting investment, upholding the rule of law and so on. Trailing losers is not part of the manifesto.

It is important that the people who were harassed by Mr Chamisa and his security details reported the matter to the police. We encourage the police to investigate the matter thoroughly and punish those who were involved.