SADC SUMMIT LEAVES ZIMBABWE IN TEARS, NOT HOPE

The much talked about SADC summit has come and gone. It was supposed to be a big moment. A turning point. A proud event for Zimbabwe. But instead, it brought only pain. It left behind more suffering, more arrests, more torture, and more fear for peace loving Zimbabweans.

The summit was nothing but noise. A show. A useless gathering that did not help the people. It was all for power. They came, they ate, they drank, and they left. The leaders protected each other. It was not about the people. Not about peace. Not about justice. It was about power. And in Zimbabwe, they kill for power.

Can anyone tell us one new thing that came from that summit? Just one. One idea. One action. One plan that we have not heard before. One thing that gives real hope to the people. There is none. The summit gave us nothing.

While they smiled in front of the cameras, real heroes like Jameson Timba were in jail. Timba, a gentle opposition leader who would never hurt anyone, was beaten, tortured, and thrown into a cell with 78 others. Their crime? Celebrating Youth Day. A simple peaceful gathering. But to Mnangagwa and his people, even peace is a threat. They see shadows around every corner. They fear the people they are supposed to lead.

Human rights defenders like Namatai Kwekweza were jailed for just being there. She was not carrying a weapon. She was not planning a protest. She was going to a conference. But to this regime, a young woman with a voice is more dangerous than a criminal. Along with Robson Chere and Samuel Gwenzi, Namatai was dragged off a plane, tortured, and locked away without bail. The courts, instead of standing for justice, did what they always do—whatever the regime wants.

In Bulawayo, young councilor Arnold Batsirai Dube is being held without contact. No one knows why. He is simply an elected official from the opposition. That alone is enough to make him a target.

Prince Dubeko Sibanda, another voice of truth, was arrested at the border as he returned from South Africa. No crime, no warrant. Just orders from the top. These days, it is not the police who decide who to arrest. It is Zanu PF officials. It is the Central Intelligence. They give the orders, and the police follow like sheep. If they could, they would arrest every one of us. If they had their way, they would kill us all, and leave the country for themselves and their families.

But even with all this cruelty, they cannot control everything. They cannot stop truth. They cannot silence everyone. Their fear is proof that they know they are wrong. And it is that fear that gives us hope. Because one day, their lies will end. Their rule will fall. And we, the people, will rule over ourselves.

Now that the summit is over, can they please release our people? Can they let them go home? Let Jameson Timba return to his family. Let the young mother and her one-year-old baby go free. That baby does not belong in jail. That mother has done nothing wrong. But in Zimbabwe today, even a baby is a threat to power.

What does home mean anymore in this country? Under Mnangagwa, home has been turned into a place of sorrow. Families are broken. Dreams are crushed. Fear is everywhere. The idea of home has been stolen from us.

And yet, we still hope. We still believe that a better Zimbabwe is possible. That one day, we will live free. That one day, home will be a place of peace again.

Until then, we continue to speak. We continue to fight. We continue to hope.