Source: Flag ban: Only institutions to own flag – Zimbotoday 21 July 2016
Miffed by the pro-democracy activists who are mobilising citizens around the national flag, President Robert Mugabe’s government is hurried working on a law that would make it illegal for individual citizens to own or be found in possession of the country’s flag. Government sources told Zimbo Today.com that this law, which would come into effect as soon as August this year, would allow only institutions—both public and private to own a flag, but not private individuals. This would apply to all flags regardless of size and material it is made from.
“Once the ban comes into effect, all citizens would be given a deadline by which they should surrender all flags after which it would become a serious offence for anyone to be found in possession of the national flag,” an official in the ministry of Justice, where the draft law is been worked, told Zimbo Today.com. “This would include having flags on or in cars as well as those that citizens have, of late, been using to drape themselves,” she said, adding that offenders would be jailed for upto three years. The move has certainly been necessitated by Pastor Evan Mawarire and his #ThisFlag movement who have teamed up with another movement, #Tajamuka, to mobilise people against President Mugabe’s misrule. ZANU-PF has already started banning its members from using the social media as it tries its best to keep its followers in the dark.
Not to be reproduced without permission: editor(at)zimbotoday.com
COMMENTS
Somebody is really really scared!!!! I hope they get sooooo scared that they s…t their pants. Nobody should hand their flag to anyone, and everyone should go out and buy one and carry it with them and wave them everywhere they are. A mass demonstration with lots of flags waving would be one serious statement. Flags everywhere!!! The Zimbabwe flag belongs to EVERONE, not just some brainless political party.
Restrictions on possession of the national flag. Almost unbelievable, but at a chimpanzees’ tea party almost anything goes. How about banning possession of a Zimbabwean passport – a dangerous, subversive document.
Keep going Bob – if there’s no money, there’s at least no shortage of ridicule.
Dictatorships can be extreme in their ridiculousness. For instance, In communist-ruled Romania typewriters were classified as” dangerous weapons” and anyone intending to buy one had to seek police authorization. If the application was successful, the new owner of the typewriter had to submit a typed sample of letters and numbers to the police. People classified as ” a danger to public order or state security” were denied permission to buy typewriters. The ultimate goal was to prevent disgruntled citizens to write and distribute what the state considered to be subversive material. In North Korea ordinary citizens are not allowed to own mobile phones or personal computers. And now this in Zimbabwe – citizens being banned from owning or waving the national flag. One day we will eventually flag you out Mr. Moogamooga
When run out of ideas they can do anything and all things silly. A flag is a national symbol. When citizens are banned from having a national symbol, what is there left for them? The government is basically alienating itself from the citizens. Government should be happy people were rallying behind the flag. It would be better to get their ideas and see what it would take to make them happy and keep them off the streets.
I would be better to create good job. Perhaps instead of being in the streets they would be on their jobs. Simple as that sounds. People are waiting for support from the government to create jobs etc. Zimbabwe is going to the dogs. We need our flags and leave us alone.
One cannot believe there is such a pathetic mind to make such a law and the fool is only making it worse for himself as he becomes the most scorned president of Zimbabwe and it is already too late, the die is cast and change is on the road and will not stop until it is here.
Which just goes to show how insecure this ZanuPF government really is. I hope this article goes viral round the world. It will give everyone an insight to what we are having to contend with. Pathetic.
Furthermore you can ban as much as you like but you can never “ban” what the people are thinking.
A ban on patriotism!?! I guess Zanu-PF are already experts on that.
Why not BAN the portrait of HIS EXCELLENCY that at one time had to be in ALL business premises……..THAT WOULD BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION……..GO >>>>>GO NOW ……..YOU IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!
KKKKK. rotten and rusty minds. Banning of Flag its not a solution to Zim’s economic decadency Robert and your Zanu Pf idiots. Your brains needs thinners to remove rusty and your heads needs engine cleaner to work properly. Otherwise, you have run out of steam. You are focusing on pet issues at the expense of major economic goals. Instead Robert you should step down because your whole body system is tired and function-less.
What about the Fags we wear on our shirts for National teams selection or the ones we have stuck to our vehicles when we go over the border to PROUDLY display our wonderful Zimbabwe.
IDIOTS, because now we lose our pariotism to OUR COUNTRY which we love.
what country bans their people from displaying the national flag.
OOOOh im getting cross when someone stops me from BEING PROUDLY ZIMBABWEAN.
I’m having my pants emblazoned with FLAG!!!
I hope the ban comes into effect soon enough to give our Olympians an excuse not to take the flag to Rio.
This is the reaction of a 4 year-old. Is that what we have running the government?
Yes! someone print shirts and T shirts and jackets with the Zim flag colors. I will buy them and wear them!
And the lembo’s draped around every ZANIODS backside, print them in larger numbers, sorry GoGo your head scarf and Lembo will have to be conviscated even with Bob’s Face allover it its illegal.
lets all buy Zimbabwe shirts, pants and hats WEAR THEN PROUDLY, YOU ARE ZIMBABWEAN.
Mr Manufacturer do you think you can please make them cheaply so we can all afford even non ZANUPF supporters.
we may have to import the material though.
Good business idea. Those Teachers’ uniforms. hahahaha….. through backdoor. Such a sham.
You idiots that are intending to ban THE FLAG. Think carefully!!!!!! You will be around when the change happens.
We will all buy flags NOW.
The Govt cannot process 12 million court cases, relating to the individuals owning their own FLAG!!!!!!
Robert Mugabe, can you not see what catastrophic degradation your ill thought out policies have done to this once beautiful and productive country???????
Lets all buy our flags now and display with pride
oh my!whats next?no breathing on any Wednesday?
busted idiot regime, working on banning flags what about working on economic cries idiot Gabriel ,dont you see how many people you are sinking down because of your greedy and stereotype policies i cant wait to say go to hell Rob useless pig
Lets now print a portrait of himself and use it as the flag. Point at the portrait and cry Oh my God, he has destroyed lovely Zimbabwe!
Let me them go ahead and ban the flag then we will meet them in court to challenge that bloody law. Of late the law has been favouring the ordinary pple so am sure it will still rule that the flag and the zimbabwe country belongs to all zimbabweans not just to bob and his bunch of old uneducated thugs. Busy banning the flag instead of trying to tuckle the real reasons why pple have been carrying. Bob is a disGrace nxa
Does it mean the Zimbabwe national team will be wearing jersey with Zanu Emblem
Never did we imagine that one day it would be illegal to be patriotic and Proudly Zimbabwean. Another reason to make people hate their country even more.
And the masses will just accept this new law, just like they will accept watching their bank accounts get wiped out again by the Zimdollar.
But seriously, you are all now learning that the flag you flew and adorned is actually a Zanu flag, not a national flag.
This is such an outrageously silly idea I’d like confirmation before I pass it on… I mean, it’s totally obvious that idgits are in control, but can even they be this daft..? it’s seriously like the incarcerated being in charge at a hospital for the criminally insane, and I’d like to hear it from an alternate source before I help publicize it further. (It’s a matter of maintaining credibility, you understand.)
sekuru chaminuka,mbuya nehanda,sekuru kaguvi,tongogara,chitepo,and all others who perished during the war is this what you fought for?????????
They really fail to get the point. The flag is just a symbol of what people stand for. Banning the flag won’t make people stop. Even if people wrapped black cloths around themselves, the principle still remains the same. {Sigh}
Why pass laws on such trivial matters whilst giving a blind eye to matters of importance.This is insanity at its highest level.The government has blood on its hands making the flag lose its meaning.It should not fool us into thinking it has a genuine concern for the flag.
It’s our flag and it’s our Zimbabwe so we can have our flag at any given time. No flag no national anthem simple as. But why should we bow down to a geriatric running the country to the sewerage tank with Jezebel licking . To hell with lucifer and Jezebel and all your judas . To hell with the uneducated zanu youth threatening violence on demonstrators. Let the games begin . We all purchasing flags and flying them. And we not purchasing them from zanoids. To hell with geriatric Angel , Jezebel and all your cronies.
ini kuti ndikupei flag ndoda 1000$ share yangu pa15billion yakaendesa robert na bona kumalesia or else ….to HELL WITH U .SO SMITH WAS RIGHT IT WAS AND IS BETTER KUTONGWA NEMBWA..
Maybe every individual should become as an institution. Be your own atart-up one-man-company, with printed business cards and rubber stamp, even if you sell no merchandise. Anybody can be a privateer consultant (with no clients), or an artist, or a courrier.