guest column:Tendaishe Tlou Barely 3 years ago, Zimbabwe held one of its most contentious elections in the history of the country which can be equated to the elections that were held in Uganda on January 14 2021. In both elections, the two main presidential candidates were young and old representing a scenario in which there is a massive youth bulge which is contesting to take power from the old guard. In both cases, the youthful candidates represent change whereas the older candidates represent the status quo and are seen as reluctant to let go of power in the face of growing dissent and disapproval among the electorate. At this juncture, it is of utmost importance to juxtapose these 2 cases given the similarities that were observed before, during and after elections including but not limited to organised violence and torture (OVT), captured institutions in the form of the Judiciary and the electoral commission, incapacitation of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and finally the deafening silence of regional and international bodies such as the United Nations (UN), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) is concerning. There is a pattern of events that is developing in Africa and it is high time that they are exposed in the interest of democracy, good governance and peace on the continent. Organised violence and torture OVT can be understood as the deliberate use of violence and torture by the State to intimidate and weaken perceived or real opponents particularly the opposition, civil society and human rights defenders. After attaining independence in the 1980s, both Uganda and Zimbabwe saw a rise of strong men in the person of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the late former President Robert Mugabe who was, in November 2017, removed from office by the incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Both leaders made significant efforts either to co-opt or annihilate the opposition in an effort to create one party States. Similarly, both presidents enjoyed unprecedented support in the rural areas. For years, the ruling parties in both countries, which came into power after protracted liberation struggles, encountered close to no opposition at all in the early years of governing. However, both States started to experience the growth of an organised and resilient civil society and opposition parties between the year 2000 and 2018 which was mainly composed of young people. This unprecedented threat to the State unfortunately provoked an undesirable response which entailed the deployment of brutal force against unarmed protesting citizens. For example, on August 1 2018, at least 6 people were shot and killed by the army in broad daylight in Harare (NGO Forum, 2018) following protests related to the release of Presidential results for the July 31 2018 elections. In the past, Zimbabwe’s electoral environment was marred with violence before, during and after elections which reached its peak in 2008 when Mugabe lost to the then opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Most recently in
