I was struck by two stories this weekend
involving two former liberation struggle individuals who have been corrupted to
serve this Zanu PF dictatorship at the expense of the nation.
The first story was about some war vets who
have pledged to support the war vet thug Jabulani Sibanda who is under pressure
to resign from the chairman position because he did not support Grace Mugabe’s
bid for power. He had the chic of dismissing it as a “bedroom coup”; which it
is but that is beside the point. The point being that Sibanda has been going
around the country intimidating and harassing people to support and vote for
Mugabe and Zanu PF, riding roughshod over their basic rights including the right
to a free and meaningful vote.
The war vets backing Sibanda claimed 'fought for a Zimbabwe that recognises freedom of expression’.
They clearly do not have a clue what they are talking about! Sibanda and the
those war vets accompanied him have been systematically denying the populous
their freedom of expression, freedom of association, the right to free, fair
and credible elections and even the right to life particular during the 2008
elections.
The war vets backing Sibanda even threaten a second Entumbane
(the fighting pitting Zanu PF former freedom fighters against PF Zapu former
freedom fighters soon after independence resulting in many being killed) if
Sibanda was force out of office.
If these guys are going to have another
Entumbane then they must know that they will be fighting for Zanu PF
dictatorship or to settle their own selfish scores and not for freedom or human
rights for the ordinary Zimbabweans!
In the second story, the nation learnt that the
Zimbabwe Ex-Political Prisoner Detainees and Restrictees Association (ZEPPDRA)
members ‘converged in Harare to deliberate on several issues affecting them’.
No doubt they must have deliberated at lengths on the abject poverty that is affecting
the whole nation. 72% of Zimbabweans are now considered poor because they live
on less than $1.25 a day. 16% or 2 million are way below that, they live in
abject poverty.
Even Zanu PF grandees like the late Nathan
Shamuyarira and Enos Nkala have not been spared the economic hardships; they
lived the last years of their lives in abject poverty and died paupers. No
doubt many of the ZEPRDRA members have been caught in the dragnet; many of them
will poor and some will already be living in abject poverty.
ZEPPDRA Chairman, Victor Kuretu said his
executive is in support of the move taken by the revolutionary party ahead of
its national elective congress of elevating Dr Mugabe to lead the Women's
League. How sad!
Here was the ex-detainees’ chance to say
something profound about how the country has completely lost direction; how a
few in power have betrayed the values of freedom, liberty, justice and human
rights and human dignity for selfish political gain. These are values they were
imprisoned to secure for all Zimbabweans and not just the few in power. These
are the values that underpin good governance and the nation is in this
political and economic nightmare precisely because the ruling elect have denied
the people freedom, liberty, etc.!
Corruption is now so rampant it is soaking up
all the nation’s wealth forcing millions into poverty and despair. It is clear
that Zanu PF does not know what to do.
As ex- liberation struggle war vets and prison
detainees and as fellow victims of the worsen economic meltdown, the war vets
and ZEPRDRA should have added their voice to the growing chorus calling on
Mugabe and Zanu PF to step down and allow for fresh free, fair and credible elections.
For this is the only way out of this mess.
Instead the war vets back Sibanda, a ruthless
thug propping up this corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. The ZEPPDRA
endorse Grace Mugabe as chairperson of the Zanu PF women’s league. It boggles
the mind how that is going to help the nation get out of this mess!
Has Mugabe
infiltrated and corrupt all the organisations representing all those involved
in the struggle for independence so that they are all controlled by stooges who
never understood freedom, liberty and any of the other values the war of
independence was fought for? It is little wonder that the nation is in a real
mess; the custodians of freedom have now become the custodians of tyranny!
6 comments:
I agree, the economic meltdown is going to force Zanu PF to accept early elections by 2016.
It is also possible that the dethroned Mujuru faction would team up with the Tsvangirai faction and win the fresh elections. The two will not be smart enough to get ALL the democratic reforms implemented and thus allow for the Mnangagwa faction to regroup and use their insiders in government to help them reclaim power.
I do not see Gideon Gono every claiming power. He has too much baggage as the man who fuelled the country record breaking inflation rate for him to be trusted with power.
The ideal scenario for Zimbabwe is for Zanu PF to be forced to step down - which is now almost certain give the worsen economic meltdown, The single most important thing that must happen then is to get ALL the democratic reforms implemented fully - this task cannot be left to Tsvangirai or Mujuru to do. They are simply too incompetent to see this through.
The best guarantee that the reforms are implemented fully is that the electorate itself understand the importance of the reforms and the commitment to see them implemented. A tall order but not an impossible one!
@ Farai Shava
What about a Tsvangirai and Mujuru alliance; the latter will provide the money and the political security and the former will bring his wildebeest herd of followers. I can see Simba and Dumiso joining the party!
The greatest threat this alliance will pose is that it will cost the nation another wasted opportunity to implement the democratic reforms. The two leaders are too incompetent to even begin to understand what the reforms are about. This is our third bit at the cherry to move the country out of the political chaos of lawlessness and we must get it right this time!
@ Q Moyo
I do not see Mugabe serving to the end of his current term in 2018. It is clear that the economic meltdown is getting worse and Zanu PF does not know what to do. 16% or 2 million Zimbabweans are already living in abject poverty and this cannot go on for another year let alone another four years!
The only way to end the economic meltdown is for Zanu PF to step down so that ALL the democratic reforms, the corrupt breathtakingly incompetent MDC should have implemented during the GNU, can be implemented and free, fair and credible elections held. We all know that Zanu PF will never win free, fair and credible elections and so all the scenario of Mugabe winning in 2018, etc. are not going to happen.
@ Edson
Zimbabweans followed Mugabe blindly for decades before they finally accepted that he was a corrupt and murderous tyrant. They then gave their equally blind allegiance to Tsvangirai who has turned out to be a corrupt and incompetent blunderer. Many are yet to see this, they are still following him like sheep to the slaughter. If we are ever to get out of this hell-hole then it is imperative that we the people stop burying our heads in the sand and take on our duty to understand what is going on with the urgency and seriousness the matter demands.
A health and functioning democracy demands an electorate that understand the big issue before them and not just follow blindly. What is the point of being given a choice, which is the essence of democratic elections, if one does not have a clue what they should be looking for and are more prone to make the wrong choice than the right one!
@ Ndlovu
Jabulani Sibanda was the war vet leaders who spearheaded Mugabe’s campaign of intimidation and terror especially during the presidential run-off in 2008 to force people to vote for Mugabe. They were not ad-vancing freedom of expression and association then but the opposite; that made the war vets nothing but mindless thugs deplored by a tyrant to advance his tyrannical agenda of ‘no regime change’!
I know many former liberation war heroes and heroines who lost their confidence in Mugabe and the direction he was taking the party in the mid 1980s when he deployed the Gukurahundi. The killing of innocent Zimbabweans went against the grain, it violated everything they had believed the struggle was about and some even resigned from the Army. Mugabe promoted those like Perence Shiri who commanded Gukurahundi who were willing to ride roughshod over the people’s rights and freedoms to keep him and Zanu PF in power. He side line and even silenced all those who still hang on to the belief that the freedom the nation fought and many died for was freedom for all Zimbabweans and not just the ruling elite.
If organisation like war sets were led by the true freedom fighters then they will be the one demanding free, fair and credible elections and not be the ones used by this tyrannical regime to deny the ordinary people their basic rights and freedoms. The nation is at a critical stage; it would be great if these true free-dom fighters of yesterday would step out of the shadows and restate what is it their stood for.
Of course, there is room for new true freedom fighters to emerge and take centre stage and redefine what freedom of expression and association; free, fair and credible elections; etc. real mean as contrast to the nonsensical ‘no regime change’ elections Mugabe fostered on the nation.
@ Business transaction
The temptation to form a political party was there (and if I am to be honest with you, it is still there as some members still keep bringing this up showing that they are unhappy with the original decision). The reason we agreed not to launch a political party is simple – ZSD will not take part in any elections in Zimbabwe until the democratic reforms are implemented to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible.
ZSD will focus on educating the Zimbabwe electorate to make sure they understand the importance of the democratic reforms and, when the time comes, they push the politicians to implement the reforms. Whereas the other political parties will be contend to keep the electorate ignorant we in the ZSD want an enlightened electorate. The task of educating the voters is best done by individuals who are not on a membership drive, which we would be if we were going to contest the coming elections.
ZSD will push to be involved in the implementation of the reforms and make sure that the voters are too and thus ensure the next elections are free, fair and democratic.
Once the reforms are implemented ZSD will boldly announce that it is a political party. We have some brilliant thinkers and have already produced some interesting policies. We want a thinking electorate and relish the challenge of being questioned and held to account unlike other parties who still want an ignorant electorate who follow blindly like sheep. If we can confident tell the voters we helped deliver free, fair and credible elections; that will give us the head start other parties will die for!
ZSD can be launched as a party and just become one of the 28 or so other political parties out there or we do something totally different, focus on the key task of delivering free, fair and credible elections and then and only then launch a party. We have chosen the latter route. We are on course to deliver free, fair and credible elections!
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