With the SADC summit just days away, Zimbabwe’s ruling regime has made a desperate move—deploying soldiers to maintain “law and order.” This is not about safety. This is not about peace. It’s about power. It’s about silencing dissent, hiding repression, and presenting a false image of stability to regional leaders. But the world is watching, and no amount of military boots can cover the truth on Zimbabwe’s streets.

Since mid-June, over 160 citizens have been arrested in a brutal pre-summit crackdown. Their crime? Daring to think, speak, gather, or protest. Among them are elected opposition leaders, unionists, students, and journalists. These are not criminals. They are citizens. And they are being punished for exercising rights that are guaranteed under Zimbabwe’s own constitution.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised the alarm. Their message is clear: this crackdown must stop, and all detainees must be released immediately. Instead of listening, the government has escalated its response—using soldiers to police civilians. This is a dangerous and reckless step that exposes the regime’s paranoia and fear.

Let us be clear: soldiers are not peacekeepers. They are trained for war, not crowd control. When governments use the military for internal policing, violence is inevitable. Accountability disappears. Human rights vanish. In Zimbabwe, we’ve seen this before—and we know what it leads to. Torture. Abductions. Death.

Already, reports of horrific abuse are surfacing. Detainees have been tortured. Some have vanished. Others were beaten so badly they needed hospitalization. The case of Jameson Timba and the 78 CCC activists arrested on June 16 is a chilling example. They were attending a private meeting. The police raided it with tear gas and batons. Seventy-five of them remain behind bars, detained unlawfully and treated inhumanely.

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa warned against “disorder” from opposition and civil society on June 27, it wasn’t a warning—it was a green light. The very next day, police crushed a peaceful protest outside the Harare Magistrates’ Court and arrested those taking part. On July 31, state agents dragged four activists off a commercial flight, detained them for hours, and left them bruised and battered.

Now, as tanks roll in and soldiers flood the capital, the intention is clear: frighten the people into silence before the SADC summit begins. Mnangagwa wants a quiet, orderly Harare—not because the country is stable, but because he’s about to take over as chairperson of SADC. It’s all theatre, built on blood and fear.

But this performance is fooling no one. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on SADC leaders to speak up. Angola’s President João Lourenço and Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema—who chairs SADC’s security organ—have a responsibility to act. They must demand that Zimbabwe stop the crackdown, free the detainees, and end military deployment in civilian spaces.

The truth is Zimbabwe is in crisis. And that crisis is political, not just economic. As long as those in power use fear instead of dialogue, guns instead of justice, and soldiers instead of service, the country will never move forward.

The SADC summit is a test—not just for Zimbabwe, but for the entire region. Will leaders choose silence, comfort, and complicity? Or will they stand for democracy, human rights, and the people of Zimbabwe?

We are watching. And we will remember.

Zimbabwe does not need more soldiers in the streets. It needs justice in its courts, truth in its politics, and freedom in its air. If SADC truly believes in peace and democracy, it must speak now. Before the silence becomes permanent.