MR JOHN AND THE POISON PLOT: PROOF BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT?
Imagine a scenario: Mr. John is recorded planning to poison and kill Mr. Thomas at a party. During the party, he is caught on camera putting something into Mr. Thomas’s drink. Later, Mr. Thomas drinks it, suffers severe stomach pains, and dies a few hours later. One might think this recording is irrefutable evidence that Mr. John killed Mr. Thomas. But this is not the case.
The recording and video of Mr. John can never be taken as undeniable proof that he caused Mr. Thomas’s death. However, these recordings are excellent circumstantial evidence that can be used to investigate further. Investigators must conduct a postmortem to determine the real cause of Mr. Thomas’s death. Even if Mr. John is recorded planning the poisoning and seen putting something in Mr. Thomas’s drink, it still needs to be proven that Mr. Thomas died from poisoning.
If it is shown that Mr. Thomas died of poisoning, it still needs to be proven that what Mr. John put in Mr. Thomas’s cup was poison and the same type that killed Mr. Thomas. If indeed it is proven that Mr. John put poison in Mr. Thomas’s drink, the next step would be to prove that the amounts put in the drink were the same quantities found in Mr. Thomas’s body. After that, it is necessary to determine whether the timeframe between Mr. Thomas drinking the poisoned drink and his death matches the potential potency of the poison. This is to rule out the possibility that someone else could have poisoned Mr. Thomas with the same poison before he drank what Mr. John prepared. Only after all these steps can there be said to be incontrovertible proof that Mr. John intentionally murdered Mr. Thomas.
The same logic applies to the issue of the targeted sanctions imposed on Zimbabwean top officials and entities. I need information that can be proven beyond any reasonable doubt. Once I prove something, or it is proven to me beyond any reasonable doubt, I am convinced and will go with that narrative.
I will never support anything that harms or hurts other people, even if it harms myself. The economic challenges in Zimbabwe affect me and my family too. I am an honest social justice activist, not driven by a political agenda. I seek the truth and stand by the truth to seek justice, dignity, and equality for all Zimbabweans. I am known to admit where I have been wrong because no one is perfect, and we learn new things every day.
I would be very grateful to anyone who provides me with conclusive evidence on how these restrictive measures have affected our economy. The next step for me would be to follow up, investigate, and verify this information to ascertain if it is irrefutable evidence. If it is proven beyond any reasonable doubt that these sanctions are truly hurting our nation, I promise to advocate for their immediate removal. However, as the situation currently stands, there has never been proof of a link between these sanctions and the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. The only connection is the incompetent and corrupt management of the country by the ruling elite, leaving a once prosperous country bankrupt.
For me, the issue of targeted sanctions imposed by the US and her Western allies goes beyond mere allegations and circumstantial evidence. Stories alleging how these sanctions affect our economy have never been incontrovertible. They failed to prove a direct link between the restrictive measures and our business community and economy. I need more than such reports. I need real proof. This is the information I have been searching for and requesting for the past several years, with minimal success. Circumstantial evidence, no matter how strong, does not work for me, although it is a good starting point for deeper investigation.
Attributing the country’s failure to access international financial support to these sanctions does not hold water. How does the Zimbabwe regime account for recent investments by companies like John Deere, which is involved in the country’s agricultural sector? Would John Deere set up in Iran, a country with real economic sanctions, yet maintains a strong economy?
Thus, without substantive evidence, my view on the sanctions debate remains unchanged. Zimbabwe, accusing Western powers of harming the country through these targeted sanctions, has the burden of proof beyond any reasonable doubt.
