During India’s struggle for home rule, especially during the years when some felt Mahatma Gandhi’s passive resistance was going nowhere, the question did arise on whether they should wage an armed struggle.
“What kind of leaders will an armed struggle throw up?” Gandhi and the other leaders asked. “And are those the men and women we would want to lead the nation after independence?”
An armed struggle could have hastened India’s independence by a decade or two, no one will ever know for certain. The most important question is would India, led by liberation war leaders, be the healthy and functioning democracy it has been since independence? Probably not!
In the case of Zimbabwe, we did wage an armed struggle to end white colonial rule and the armed struggle did thrown up hawks who have ridden roughshod over the people, denying them their freedoms and rights including the right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life.
It was laughable, if it was not so tragic, that during the 1979 Lancaster House talks it was the black nationalists leaders who objected to the multi-party democratic Lancaster House constitution. Both Zanu PF and PF Zapu wanted a one-party state, they did not push for it only because each wanted to be the dominant party.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF party launched the 1983 to 1987 Gukurahundi massacre whose principle purpose was to crash Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF Zapu, his main political challenge, and force them to join Zanu PF in the 1987 Unity Accord. The Unity Accord was then used as the excuse for imposing a de facto one-party dictatorship that has ruled the roost to this day.
Zimbabwe had many opportunities to end the Zanu PF dictatorship with the best of these coming during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. SADC leaders had managed to get Mugabe and his Zanu PF party to commit to the implementation of a raft of democratic reforms designed to dismantle the dictatorship. The task of implementing the reforms fell to Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC colleagues.
Mugabe bribed the MDC leaders with the trappings of high office and, with their snouts in the feeding trough, they forgot about the reforms. They failed to implement even one reform in five years!
Ever since the 2008 GNU, Zanu PF has toned down the dictatorship by giving away a few gravy train seats and a share of the annual payout from the Political Party Finance Act as bait to entice the opposition to participate in elections even when it is clear Zanu PF was rigging the plebiscite. Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections, the regime failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll for Pete’s sake.
Still, the party was able to point to the opposition’s overwhelming enthusiastic participation in the elections as proof Zimbabwe is a functioning democracy. There were 23 presidential candidates and 130 political parties contested for the parliamentary seats to say nothing of independent candidates.
Zimbabwe had the potential to become the South Korea of Africa - a free dynamic and prosperous nation, if the country had had the fortune of quality leaders. Sadly, the armed struggle had thrown corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs as the nation’s leaders and Zimbabwe has become the North Korea of Africa - a nation with a few filthy rich and ruling elite crashing the poor and powerless majority into the dust.
“If the armed struggle throws up corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs as the nation’s leaders; what must you do to wrestle power from these thugs?”
This is the third question Mahatma Gandhi and his fellow Indian leaders never asked because they ruled out the armed struggle. Zimbabwe had the armed struggle and it did thrown up corrupt and murderous tyrants. And for the last 40 years we, Zimbabweans have pretended the third question was irrelevant and have paid dearly for our folly as Zanu PF has dragged the nation deeper and deeper into the abyss.
The corona virus pandemic has hit Zimbabwe very hard because at the outbreak the country was already in an economic mess with its health care service all but broken. And going forward, Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence, the failure to test and isolate for example, has turned a tragedy into a catastrophe.
Nations get the government they deserve and we in Zimbabwe certainly deserve this corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship because we have done nothing to stop the thugs getting into power. And, once in power, for 40 years and counting, we have done nothing to remove them!
19 comments:
@ Hakata
“Opposition leaders like Chamisa, Biti and Sikhala have been there since 2000 and yet they are still around using the same methods of trying to remove this regime with no avail. Political parties have been mushrooming daily, political funding coming in yearly but still the regime is still there. Zimbabweans should not wait for elections anymore but should rather confront and uproot this stubborn political system that has caused many to die and millions to work as slaves in neighbouring countries.”
Ever since the 2008 to 2013 GNU Zanu PF has learned that it can keep its vote rigging powers as long as the party allow MDC to win a few gravy train seats. MDC leaders have learned to run with the povo hare by day and hunt with the Zanu PF hounds by night.
Our failure to realise that MDC leaders have given up the fight for free, fair and credible elections is because we are naive and gullible. We love burying our heads in the sand and even now with the country in a serious mess, we still refuse to open our eyes!
@ Magaisa
“If the party was worth its mettle, it would be seeking political capital independently, under its new leadership before making claims as a serious political voice.
"The leaders lack confidence because they know the fate that awaits them. Unfortunately, there are some who have fallen for the facade and think the MDC-T is a serious contender in any dialogue.
"The party must prove its worth and not take a free-ride on the MDC Alliance's political capital.”
So you think MDC A is the serious opposition party because it has been winning the few gravy train seats Zanu PF gives away as bait?
Of course, it is foolish to sell-out on the people’s right to free, fair and credible elections for the sake of a few gravy train seats. But this is a political reality that Magaisa has failed to grasp hence his refusal to admit the 2008 to 2013 GNU was a failure.
Whatever hardship are brought by sanctions on the ordinary people they are nothing compared to the hardship brought on the people by corruption. So why are you going to town on sanctions but say nothing about corruption!!!
The primary purpose of the sanctions imposed on Zanu PF leaders is to force the regime to hold free, fair and credible elections. Zimbabwe is stuck in this economic and political mess because we have failed to hold free elections.The sanction must stay to push this agenda!
The Lancaster House constitution was not perfect but still it was more democratic than the dog’s breakfast produced by Zanu PF’s amendments.
It is said that Benjamin Franklin was asked what of government had America’s founding fathers produced. “A democratic republic, if you can hold on to it!” he replied.
The people of Zimbabwe were always going to find it a real challenge to hold on to the few freedoms and rights contained in the Lancaster House constitution. For a start, by the time Mugabe and his Zanu PF delegates arrived back in Zimbabwe they had already hatched a plan to deny the people their right to a meaningful vote.
Zanu PF’s 1979 campaign message to the nation was that the bush war would continue if the party lost the elections. Of course, the people voted to end the war; they had no choice!
The armed struggle had thrown up leaders who believed that mighty is right and they turned the AK47 rifle from the white colonialists to the people to get what they want. The Gukurahundi massacre showed the nation the depths of barbarism Zanu PF thugs will sink to secure absolute power and the wealth and influence that goes with it.
The only people the nation would realistically expect put up a fight “to hold on to the democratic values enshrined in the Lancaster House constitution are the professionals and the middle income people. Sadly, they were the first to desert their line without even a fight.
Zimbabwe’s professionals either joined the Zanu PF dictatorship in the spirit of “if you cannot beat them join them”. Or, at the very least, they pretended not to notice Zanu PF’s tyrannical excesses in the spirit of “going along to get along!”
The real surprise for me is that the penny has not yet dropped that this madness cannot continue; even now with the economy in total meltdown and millions living in abject poverty there are Zimbabweans out there who continue to bury their heads in the sands and will not see the urgent need for change!
In a move seen in Harare as an unexpected kick in the teeth, the UK, now autonomous to make solo decisions on sanctions after breaking away from the European Union, announced new sanctions, including a travel ban and asset freeze, on State Security minister Owen Ncube, Central Intelligence Organisation director-general Isaac Moyo, Zimbabwe Republic Police commissioner-general Godwin Matanga and retired Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe, former commander of the Presidential Guard, now Zimbabwe's ambassador to Tanzania.
UK Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the security sector chiefs were responsible for serious human rights violations, including the deaths of 23 Zimbabwean protestors in August 2018 and January 2019.
"These sanctions send a clear message that we will hold to account those responsible for the most egregious human rights violations, including the deaths of innocent Zimbabweans," Raab said.
"These sanctions target senior individuals in the government, and not ordinary Zimbabweans. We will continue to press for the necessary political and economic reforms that will benefit all Zimbabweans.”
After 40 years of rigged elections, with the country in total economic meltdown and millions now living in abject poverty; Zimbabwe is desperate for change. The sanctions screw must be turned two full turns to make sure the next elections are free, fair and credible without failure.
Zanu PF is not going to implement any democratic reforms as long as the party knows the opposition will participate in the coming elections with no reform. It is therefore important that pressure is brought to bear on the corrupt, incompetent and sell-out opposition. MDC leaders have not only failed to implement reforms they are also the ones giving Zanu PF legitimacy by participating in flawed elections.
Sanctions must now be imposed on MDC leaders as well as Zanu PF leaders!
Stephen Chan, a British-based professor of world politics who follows Zimbabwean issues closely, said London's move was "very direct", although "diplomatically clumsy" – marking a new policy shift. "Clumsy, but direct. Pointed," he said.
Professor Chan cannot accept the political reality that he is the one who is wrong, his support of Zanu PF is a matter of public record.
Hon Biti also condemned the persecution of Hon Joana Mamombe and Cecilia Chimbiri by Mr Mnangagwa’s administration.
“The cost of bread and fuel has just gone up .Toll fees doubled up last week. Zim triple digit inflation is steadily spiking back to 600 %. Talk of stability is deranged dross. Regime is clueless &extractive. Easily the worst government in the history of governments. ZanupfMustGo.”
“Absolutely ridiculous. The weaponization of bail proceedings must stop . Perceptions of judicial capture undermine judiciary itself.
The nation and the whole world will remember that MDC had five years during the 2008 to 2013 GNU to implement the democratic reforms and dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship once and once for all. MDC leaders sold-out and failed to implement even one reform.
Worse still, by participating in these flawed and illegal elections MDC leaders are giving the vote rigging Zanu PF legitimacy.
It is nonsensical to keep blubbering about “Regime is clueless & extractive. Easily the worst government in the history of governments. ZanupfMustGo.” by day and then by night being the one keeping the regime in office! This running with povo hare by day and hunting with the Zanu PF hounds by night must be stopped!
Can you deny that you are gearing to participate in the 2023 elections with no reforms in place? I dare you to publicly deny it!
@ Mnangagwa
"The preservation of our democratic principles, constitutional values and the rule of law must be upheld by all citizens, with no exceptions.
As I conclude, I once again urge us all to remain resolute and hopeful. This pandemic and the constraints, insecurity and anxieties it has brought along will surely end. Let us not despair, Zimbabwe is rising. Together we will cross the finish line and achieve Vision 2030. For now, we must carry on looking after each other, protecting the vulnerable and protecting our loved ones."
Well that is rich coming from someone who has rigged elections for the last 40 years and is hell bend on doing the same again in 2023! Zanu PF blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections and is only in power because the MDC sold-out. First by failing to implement the democratic reforms when they had the chance to do so and then by participating in flawed elections.
If the 2023 elections go ahead with no reforms, this time, the plebiscite will be declared null and void. Enough of this nonsense of holding elections and failing to produce something as basic as a verified voters' roll! Watch this spare!
@ Prisca Ncube
“I beg to differ with you Wilbert. Both parties were united the entire conference life spine. They split after the conference, when Zanu wanted to go it alone. This is the reason why Tongogara was killed, because he refused Mugabe to go elections as a separate party. I get this feeling you want to write your own history whereby Zapu is seen in the same set of values and principles. The peoples of Mashonaland made a serious mistake of voting for zanu with all its tribal connotations. Zapu and Zanu were ideologically different, you don’t want that: you want Zapu to be put on the same page with Zanu. kulapho ophambanisa khona mfowethu.”
What is the essence of what Gandhi said? ”What kind of leaders will an armed struggle throw up? And are those the men and women we would want to lead the nation after independence?”
Surely it was that the armed struggle will throw up leaders who would seek to dominate others and who believe mighty is always right. And if they do not get what they want they will reached for the gun; it got them what they wanted against the whites, it will do so again.
The liberation war certainly throw up hawks in both Zanu PF and PF Zapu, that is a historic fact.
It seems to me what you are talking about is whether there were more hawks in Zanu PF than in PF Zapu. I am not interested in splitting hairs!
For the record Tongogara may have wanted the two parties to contest the 1980 as one party but he was not a dove by any stretch of the imagination.
Former Labour and Social Welfare Minister Petronella Kagonye has been arrested on allegations of fraud.
Kagonye is in police custody at Morris Deport (SACU)on charges related to illegal parcelling out of state land.
This has happened few hours after Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has been tasked to implement findings of the probe and bring the culprits to book.
She is small fry! The real big fish in the dam are those involved with the wholesale looting of diamonds, gold and other resources that have been going on for decades. Chiwenga himself is involved. Where else did he get the money to build his C&M mansion, buy the fleet of posh cars, indulge in his idiotic passion of buying 45 gold watches, etc.?
The only way Zimbabwe can stamp out corruption is by implementing the reforms to ensure free, fair and credible elections, the pre-requisite of good governance. The Godfathers of corruption are the ones ruling the country and as long as they remain in power so will corruption.
Minister Ncube’s appeal was, however, queried by local health industry experts who say Zimbabwe has been giving unreasonable excuses not to sign to the UN's Covax facility — a global initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
The southern African country could be guaranteed over one million doses of the Pfizer-bioNTech and astraZeneca-University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccines by July if government signs up to the facility.
Zimbabwe is said to be leaning towards vaccines from China and Russia while raising reservations about vaccines under the Covax facility.
A local health insurance industry official familiar with discussions over Zimbabwe's proposed Covid-19 vaccination plans said government officials were raising questions about why vaccines acquired under the Covax facility were only earmarked for third world countries.
It is ironic that the Zanu PF government is expressing concerns over the UK and USA/EU vaccines but not over the Chinese and Russian vaccines when there is scientific data, if there is anyone competent to read it, on the former and precious little on the latter. China and Russia are very secretive nations just like Zimbabwe under Zanu PF, that it seems is the only reason why Zimbabwe is determined to go with the Chinese and Russians!
@ Chihwayi
“Recent calls for dialogue by the two MDC formations should be embraced by all those believing in a homegrown inclusive solution to our social, political and economic problems.
An engagement platform that is beyond the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) is required if we are to genuinely work together to confront the issues that are keeping us separated.
Reports suggest that both the MDC Alliance and the MDC-T are ready for talks with Zanu-PF, but the ruling party has not been responding to the opposition calls for sincere engagement. In my view, the expanded negotiation platform must include other major stakeholders like the church, civil society and the labour movements.”
Zanu PF and MDC were in the 2008 to 2013 GNU that failed to implement even one democratic reform to keep on arguing for a new GNU led by the same corrupt and incompetent village idiots is itself idiotic!
Zanu PF rigged the July 2018 elections, the regime is illegitimate and must step down to allow the nation to appoint a competent body that will implement the reforms.
Zanu PF has held the nation to ransom that should not be permitted and those calling for a Zanu PF led GNU to appease the thugs are only encouraging the regime to stay in power. We need to act decisively and not waste time on foolish gimmicks!
@ Mnangagwa
“I further commend the outgoing Chair of our Union, His Excellency Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, and President of the Republic of South Africa for his exemplary and sterling work in leading our Continental body. His innovative and responsive approach in mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our Continent is admirable.
Today our organisation boasts of elaborate, well-coordinated and effective new initiatives towards combating the spread of the pandemic. This demonstrates the power of our solidarity, cooperation and unity which can be traced to our rich culture and heritage as a Continent.
I warmly congratulate you, Your Excellency President Felix Tshisekedi for your assumption of Chairmanship of the African Union. You can count on Zimbabwe's support during your tenure of office.”
That is all very well but it will do nothing to change the reality on the ground that Africa will come out the worst affected continent on earth by the corona virus plagued as we are by the man-made virus of corruption, rigged elections and bad governance. What has President Cyril Ramaphosa done to solve Africa’s man-made virus in his year as the continental chairperson? Nothing!
There is very little reason to expect President Felix Tshisekedi to do any better than Ramaphosa in addressing Africa’s problems. We will blunder from pillar to post as we have done all these year, that is not about to change.
@ Mnangagwa
“It is our hope that in the aftermath of the ongoing measures, professionalism and respect for staff rules and regulations will be enhanced for the benefit of the Union.
Going forward, the need to stay the course on this reform process as we pursue our, Agenda 2063 of "The Africa We Want" must remain a priority.
Finally, Zimbabwe remains fully committed to the successful implementation of the reforms. I wish to assure President Paul Kagame of my full support as he continues to steer the institutional reform process of our Continental Body, the AU.”
So Mnangagwa is now chasing the Agenda 2063 of Africa we want but has failed to implement any democratic reforms in Zimbabwe to end the curse of bad governance that has crippled our country. The sooner Zimbabweans get rid of this illegitimate buffoon the sooner the country can finally start on the important work of rebuilding the nation out of the ruins Zanu PF has left!
Good governance cannot be served by erratic meetings or a cabinet hiatus.
“Cabinet is the highest decision-making body and citizens expect all-hands-on deck from it, especially during a time of an emergency like right now with the Covid-19 situation. The failure by cabinet to meet regularly, as implied in the constitution, is serious dereliction of duty. While there is a task-force in place dealing with the pandemic it is not enough and does not and cannot substitute cabinet,” Kadzere told The NewsHawks in an interview.
“It must also be remembered that cabinet has a five-year tenure derived from the national elections. Its scope for operation is thus limited, hence time lost cannot be recovered, particularly during such times of adversity and crisis due to Covid-19.”
The most important questions the Zimbabwe cabinet members must answer as far as the handling of the corona virus pandemic is concerned are:
What was the scientific basis of their decisions on the corona virus pandemic?
Did it ever occur to them that the country’s failure to test for the virus was contributing to the country’s low covid-19 cases and deaths?
Did it ever occur to them that by failing to test, trace, track and isolate as recommended by WHO and dictated by common sense, the regime was helping in the spread of the virus?
This Zanu PF regime has a lot to answer for and, one of these fine days, it must be held to account!
ZIMBABWEAN telecoms mogul Strive Masiyiwa has called on young African business owners - whom he calls "digital, liberated young entrepreneurs" - to lead a wealth-creation and entrepreneurial revolution on the continent.
Masiyiwa said young people must learn from the exploits of the world's new breed of billionaires, who made their money while they were still young.
"I remember a time when the richest man in the world was always an old man; a very old man," he wrote on his Facebook platform.
"Before Bill Gates, the richest men in the world were like Howard Hughes (a reclusive old man who made things like aeroplanes and ran oil fields).
"There were powerful men like tiny Rowland, who made politicians quake in their boots and paid bribes to get what they wanted.”
As long as Africa remains in the clinches of the corrupt and tyrannical thugs there is nothing the "digital, liberated young entrepreneurs” can do to revive the continent’s comatose economy. What Africa needs is to address the curse of rigged elections and bad governance and it is foolish to keep burying our heads in the sand, especially after 40 years of independence!
@ The News Hawk
Zimbabwe’s problem is defined by a crisis of leadership, governance and policy failures. That is what we are dealing with here. A proper election is the starting point.
This is not reductionism or rocket science. This is essence of the national question. The problem look multifarious and compounded, but upon further reflection it is not.
To resolve its problems, Zimbabwe needs to go back to the basics. People must take a step backwards, breathe and ask what is the problem? What is to be done?
First, the country needs new politics based on a new value system, ideas and rational contestation, not anger, hate and labelling.
Politics driven by ideas, values and principles, not politics of the stomach. So this means reconstituting the political.
Fifth, inclusive nation-building and nation-building must be revisited. Zimbabwe’s state building – constructing and strengthening state institutions – and nation-building, developing a shared sense of identity and vision – failed from the beginning. Zimbabwe was stillborn in 1980.
Zimbabwe was indeed stillborn in 1980 and the tragedy is that many people have never had the courage to admit this much less to do something to put it right. For the last 40 years we have pretended corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF thugs are competent and they will deliver economic prosperity. All they have done is drag the nation deeper and deeper into economic despair and ruin.
For the last 40 years Zanu PF thugs have rigged elections to stay in power and we have pretended not to notice because we did not want to confront the regime over the matter.
The country had its best chance ever to end the Zanu PF dictatorship during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and MDC leaders sold-out. We did not even have the intellectual alertness to see the golden opportunity much less to hold MDC leaders to account for selling out!
Even if Zimbabwe was to be handed a healthy democratic system of government in a silver platter, we will get it in the morning and by noon we will have lost it. It take a lot more than suffering and dying and wishful think to have a healthy and functioning democracy. It takes hard work and an insatiable hunger for knowledge and justice; we have none of these qualities!
Comment On Stop Blaming Incapacitated Teachers By ARTUZ
To expect Zimbabwe's education standard to be high given the sector has been starved of resources, both human and material, for decades now is naive. The ruling elite have been sending their children outside Zimbabwe for their education for decades because they knew Zimbabwe's education system had gone to the dogs. We have been very slow to acknowledge the truth before our eyes!
There is no denying that our liberation war throw up the kind of leaders Gandhi and others fear - power hungry, arrogant, corrupt, incompetent and will resort to brute force to hold on to power. Gandhi knew the futility of an armed struggle to remove one oppressor but only to replace him with another.
Mugabe and his fellow black nationalists did not want a democratic Zimbabwe in which the ordinary people would enjoy the freedoms and rights including the right to free and fair elections because they wanted to enjoy absolute power. The prospect of Zanu PF leaders being voted out of office by povo was simply unthinkable. Mugabe and his cronies vowed to dismantle all the democratic institution contained in the Lancaster House constitution a.s.a.p. and that is exactly what happened.
Mugabe and his Zanu PF's reason for rejecting a democratic Zimbabwe is that the British were conspiring to limit the black nationalists political power in a way they never limited the white regime. The very fact that the liberation war was justified precisely because the white regime denied the blacks their freedoms and rights was lost to Mugabe and company.
The liberation war hastened the end of white rule but landed Zimbabweans straight into a de facto one-party dictatorship. The people never even tasted freedom and liberty because the first elections was about ending the bush war and not voting for the party/candidate of one's choice. Zanu PF made it known that if the party lost the elections the bush war would continue!
Zanu PF has rigged elections ever since and the nation has yet to figure out how to reclaim their individual freedoms and rights including the right to free elections and even the right to life! We have lived with the curse of the armed struggle throwing up the kind of leaders no free nation would want as leaders. We must find a way of wrestling power from these Zanu PF thugs or this nation is doomed!
Nyikayaramba would be remembered as one of late President Robert Mugabe’s most politically meddlesome generals.
Nyikayaramba was one example why the decision to wage an armed struggle was a curse for Zimbabwe because the struggle would throw up some buffoons as leaders - he was certainly one such buffoon. The last 40 years have been hell for the nation as the people struggle for their freedoms, rights and human dignity.
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