Zimbabwe is not just in crisis—it is in freefall. As the nation prepared for the crucial general elections on August 23, 2023, citizens were hit with a gut-wrenching scandal that has left a stain on the country’s soul. Bobby Makaza, a convicted rapist who violated a 10-year-old girl, was released from prison under a controversial presidential amnesty, given a house, some money, and deployed as a campaign agent for ZANU PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Let that sink in.

A man who was serving a 16-year sentence for raping a child is now walking free, rewarded, and turned into a face of political power. This is not fiction. It is the horrific reality that Zimbabweans are now forced to digest. Mnangagwa’s justification? Makaza is 60 years old, and prisons are overcrowded.

But what about the rights of the child? What about justice? What about the message this sends to victims of sexual violence, their families, and the rest of society? That political usefulness can erase the most brutal crimes? That rape is negotiable if you wear the right party scarf?

Women’s groups, children’s advocates, and human rights defenders have all spoken out, shocked and disgusted. But ZANU PF remains silent, unmoved, pushing forward with Makaza as a poster boy for their campaign. The trauma of one child has been erased in the name of political expediency. The victim and her family have now been forced into a second nightmare: watching their violator celebrated and elevated.

This is not just a poor decision—it is a national disgrace.

The incident has exposed the deep moral decay eating away at Zimbabwe’s political system. It shows that, for some, power is more important than principle, and votes more valuable than victims. It’s a calculated betrayal of justice, of dignity, and of the social fabric that holds any functioning society together.

And yet, this isn’t just about one rapist being freed. It’s about a government that is willing to weaponize presidential powers to release violent criminals and turn them into political tools. It’s about a party that sees no shame in parading human rights abusers in public. It’s about a system that has lost its ethical bearings—and a nation that must now decide whether to accept or reject this darkness.

From a philosophical standpoint, the debate is ancient. Aristotle believed politics was about building a virtuous society, led by moral leaders. Machiavelli, in contrast, said power comes first—even if it means lying, cheating, or doing evil things to maintain control.

Mnangagwa and ZANU PF have made it clear where they stand. In their world, power is everything. They’ve chosen Machiavelli. They’ve chosen cruelty. And they’ve chosen to humiliate victims of crime for political gain.

But Zimbabwe’s people still have a choice.

The upcoming election was never just about inflation, potholes, or joblessness. It is now a referendum on morality. Can a nation accept this kind of governance? Can it trust a leader who frees rapists and turns them into campaigners?

We have reached a breaking point. The people must choose: do we vote for a system that rewards monsters, or do we say enough is enough?

Let this moment be a wake-up call.

Zimbabwe cannot afford to sell its conscience for campaign posters and vote counts. This is bigger than politics—it is about who we are and what we stand for. It is about protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty, no matter who they are or what flag they wave.

The time has come for every Zimbabwean to take a stand—not just against this one outrage, but against the entire system that made it possible.

Makaza should be behind bars. Not in a house. Not in a party office. Not on a campaign trail.

And if Zimbabwe chooses morality over madness, he won’t be there for long.