Editorial comment: If govt is also scared, we are doomed

Obituaries
IN the wake of surging armed robberies across the country, there is nothing as terrifying as having a government conceding that it has lost control.

IN the wake of surging armed robberies across the country, there is nothing as terrifying as having a government conceding that it has lost control.

On a daily basis now, there are disturbing reports of people being gunned down, robbed or assaulted by armed robbers, who apparently are not afraid of taking on the police.

It is the responsibility of government to do all it takes to protect its citizenry, but seemingly is not the case with our government.

They are supposed to be our last line of defence, but Home Affairs deputy minister Ruth Mavhunga-Maboyi conceded lack of capacity to deal with the menacing gun-toting criminals.

The situation has become dire in Bulawayo, where armed robbers are on the loose, while in Harare, cases of armed robberies are increasing at an alarming rate as robbers become more brazen.

Even more frightening, we have a whole government admitting that the bigwigs too are living in fear.

Members of Parliament, being representatives of the people, are afraid and justifiably angry at why government seems to be standing aloof while crimes involving guns are on the increase.

The manner they quizzed Mavhunga-Maboyi on the matter expresses huge concern, but the responses they got from her should send shivers down their spines.

Mavhunga-Maboyi, typical of the leaders we have, blamed porous border posts for easy passage of guns into the country.

It is spine-chilling to know that we are not safe as a country and instead of devising measures to protect us, government officials are going into hiding.

It appears the police are more concerned about illegal commuter operators than dealing with the run-totting robbers. On Wednesday, they burnt three commuter omnibuses and beat up everyone in sight, according to eye witness accounts, but are never seen when the robbers come calling.

The rate of crime involving guns is a new phenomenon in Zimbabwe, but rising at an alarming rate.

It is all due to poverty that has set its roots among the youths who have no means of eking out a living, in an economy that is sucking all opportunities away from them.

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop and the growing crime rate is testimony to that.

Youths are into drugs that leave them vulnerable to anything and everything. They need money to survive in a country where we have no jobs, and to feed that habit.

In fact, some of the perpetrators of the robberies are police officers and soldiers and the admission by Mavhunga-Maboyi that government is not in control simply means we are facing an unusual situation, where we cannot count on the law enforcement agents to safeguard us and in fact, that could perpetrate the crime against us.

Government must address this and it should not be business unusual when the country is under siege from criminals.