"Our freedom, independence and the proud heritage left for us by our departed heroes and heroines who paid the supreme sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today. We have within our blood, the traits of bravery, valour and resilience passed on to us by generation upon generation of our departed," said Mnangagwa in his Independence Day address.
"As we reflect on the path we have walked and the road ahead, we must draw lessons from the actions of our freedom fighters and the principles that guided them. Over the years, through sweat, struggle and tribulations we have survived and never surrendered or lost our hope.
"Today as we celebrate the birth of our nation, let us honour the values that underpin it. These values must drive us forward. We can no longer afford to be concerned with mere survival. Let us instead seek to blossom, thrive and prosper as a nation, as a people, towards a brighter future in the Zimbabwe we all want."
We are being told Zimbabwe is free and this is the Zimbabwe we wanted. How long are we going to tolerate these insults? The true heroes and heroines of this nation are turning in the graves to see what has become of this nation.
Zimbabwe has become a highly polarised nation of the have everything and have absolutely nothing! The few Zanu PF ruling elite and their cronies and families and friends live in palatial mansion, have farms and other business empires, go outside the country for their education and health needs and, most important of all they enjoy absolute power.
In all the 39 years since Zimbabwe gained her independence the country is yet to hold free, fair and credible elections. “One man, one vote!” was the clarion call before independence but was trash soon after and forgotten.
How can last year’s elections ever be judged free, fair and credible when 3 million, compared to the 5 million we are told voted, Zimbabweans in the diaspora were denied the vote? The regime failed even to release something as basic for elections as a verified voters’ roll.
The have absolutely nothing are the 90% who are unemployed, the 3/4 of the population now living on US$30 per month or less, the povo forced to make do with the local heath care services that has all but completely collapsed. Their suffering and misery is heart breaking and many are now dying of hunger, lack of medicine and other poverty related illnesses.
On the political front, the overwhelming majority who have been denied their freedoms and rights including their rights to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and the right to life itself!
When the people have protested again the rigged elections, the corruption, the worsening economic hardships, etc. they have been subjected to savage brutality to cow them into silent submission.
“The introduction of a market-based exchange rate system is expected to stabilise the economy, in the long run. However, Government is alarmed by the recent wanton and indiscriminate increases of prices which has brought about untold suffering to the people. This conduct by stakeholders in business, industry and commerce is inhumane, unethical, unpatriotic and goes against the grain of economic dialogue which the 2nd Republic has espoused,” Mnangagwa argues.
What 2nd Republic are you wittering about? Mr Mnangagwa, we all know that Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections and used brute force to ram the results down the nation’s throat.
You have admitted that you have failed to end the scourge of corruption because it is “deep rooted”, you said. You claim that Zimbabwe under your leadership is different from the pariah state of Robert Mugabe, the truth is nothing has change. The 1st Republic and the 2nd Republic is just the flip side of the same coin!
As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs there will be no hope of any meaningful economic recovery. None!
After 39 years of the nation sinking deeper and deeper into this economic and political hell-on-earth the least we must do is acknowledge that we are lost. The Zimbabwe in which the overwhelming majority have been denied their freedoms, human rights and humanity is not what the nation wanted. Zanu PF has dragged us into this hell-hole but worse still the regime is keeping us here but rigging elections and imposing itself on the nation. We must demand that Zanu PF steps down because the party has no mandate to govern since it rigged the elections.
The ultimate expression of our national freedom and independence is that everyone must have a meaningful say in the governance of the country including the right to life. And when these basic freedoms and rights are denied, as has clearly happened in Zimbabwe, then they must be demanded.
After 39 years of letting Zanu PF ride roughshod over our freedoms, rights and dreams; we must now demand free, fair and credible elections and mean it. What better way of prove our resolve and determination in our demand than punishing those who rig elections instead of the usual response of appeasing and rewarding the treasonous thugs! Enough is enough!
2 comments:
Chamisa says it is now time for MDC and Zanu PF to work together.
What Zimbabwe needs is a clean start, the idea that Zanu PF or MDC will deliver that is laughable because the two party had the golden chance to do this and messed up big time. Both Zanu PF and MDC should step down but are refusing to do so for selfish reasons. The challenge is for Zimbabweans to put their foot down and demand meaningful change and not yet another fudge!
Zimbabwe's march into the abyss has been torturous and relentless. It is heart-breaking that a nation that had so much going for it to be a great success has become the basket case of a failed state. The very fact that Mnangagwa thinks the nation should be "proud" underlines just how oblivious of the seriousness of our situation he is. The tyrant and his cronies live in their own world! The most reason Zanu PF cannot be consider a part of the solution to Zimbabwe's problems. Zanu PF must be pressured to step down and the sooner this can be done the better.
It is a complete mystery therefore why Chamisa and his opposition friends are hoping to achieve by calling for a dialogue with Zanu PF! Zanu PF rigged last year's elections, the regime is illegitimate and beyond the pale!
By repeatedly participating in these flawed and illegal elections, the opposition too has proven that they are of not much use to the nation especially during these critical transition stages of dismantling the dictatorship and building a democracy!
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