The International Community syndrome

Well, our government is down to its last couple of hundred bucks after remunerating the civil servants. It is a good thing that they got paid. Now that there is nowhere to raise the funds from, the upcoming elections being now prepared for, there is nowhere to get the money from. However, the cloud with a silver lining comes floating by, it is the 'International Community'. The question would be, will they just give aid without demanding anything? If they will not, that is a good thing. However, has the country tried to BOOTSTRAP? Positively, it always has to be the first option when we have all the diamonds and platinum as well as gold. Why not levy a special tax on these to raise the money. Wasn't it the original purpose of tax? It was levied on the rich people to support national initiatives like war. In this case, how much is needed? - About a little over $100 million. The diamond mineral sales would suffice but they are not being brought to the fore, instead, begging bowl in hand, they are running around the world to beg. How much gems is Mbada Diamonds (Pvt) Ltd pushing monthly? I am sure the figures are in their hundreds of millions if not close enough. It would be a great idea if we use what we have before we run to the neighbors because they will always laugh at us. If Mr Mugabe condemns the Western countries and despises their trying to meddle with the affairs of the country, why would he allow things to get to such an extent and then leave the only option being to consider helping us. By the way, China, his pal from the East is there to help, oh wait, things may not be as sweet as they have to be between him and the Chinese. 

Knowing that elections were going to be held sometime after the constitution's acceptance  I believe it would have been wiser if they had created a fund, specifically to finance elections.If they believed that there were going to be elections in the country sincerely, they would have made a provision for them a long time ago. Last minute rushes always result in ill-made decisions and usually land countries into contracts they in future regret to have signed initially. However, it is here, its upon us, they did what they did and so the begging bowl it is. Whatever it is, we may have been taken for a ride by the Indigenous rulers of our country.

Putting an end to the scramble for Zimbabwe.

This time, equipped with the new constitution, Zimbabwe shall again hit the ballots to choose the next leader. The country is at this point, in a state that requires an able leader who will steer it out of the red, bringing what everyone yearns to see- total economic, social and political independence. Everyone knows that the major sectors of the economy took a hard hit and toppled over; education, health, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, insurance, financial services all went under because of the warped policies of the government. Journalists who have dared bring to light these happenings have been detained, some died while others ran off to seek shelter in foreign lands, so did many more people from different walks of life. It suddenly became so undesirable to be a resident of Zimbabwe, a disgrace if among other nationals. While this has been happening, on the main arena, we have had the real players who have been and still are preoccupied with emptying the coffers of the country. When Europeans gave in during the Chimurenga, people rejoiced, hoping that a new day had just dawned. The day they all hoped for was freedom, justice, equality and prosperity and it was, but just for a second. Then came in the age of the tyrannical reign of Mr Mugabe whom we today are all fighting to make leave the state house. He in turn has been very arrogant, refusing to acknowledge that the ruined state the country largely is contributed to his and his cohorts doing. He maintains his innocence and blames the western countries and sellouts. On the other hand, I blame myself for having not done anything to ensure that this man's ego would not swallow the country's vision, and I blame everyone else too. I believe, our country is our nation, not a group of men who under the guise of having fought for independence squander the national wealth and squash any form of opposition. The responsibility to turn it around is ours. I have noticed that politicians were born to deceive and win elections, then enrich themselves and strive to remain in the positions they will be so as to steal a lot more. We have seen them, coming to us with all the good promises and then we getting excited and all worked up that at last, a true person has come forward to address our plights and we vote for him/her only to get a rude awakening when they disappear from our very faces and play hard to get for as long as they do not need a re-election. Then they re-appear when it now becomes time for a re-election and again we fall for the same old lies. What a crafty lot politicians are? Or gullible we are!

So this time, having seen what the current breed of politicians are and having suffered through ZANU (PF)'s rule, we have all a reason to vote and not for them because we all know, one wrong step and again we plummet down the cliff. Maybe, and only maybe, it was not their fault that Zimbabwe went through a very rough period, maybe it was the United Kingdom and her allies' fault, maybe it was the rest of the people other than those associated with the ZANU horde, maybe it was just nothing but a freak of nature that made us go through all that, we just need a change of government. We need to see who the real culprit is (although we know) and when we establish that fact, like civilized humans, we sit down and take punitive measures. When we all go out to vote this time, it is important that we do that in honor of our heroes; those who gave their lives to free the country from the Rhodesian mafia, those who died at the hands of ZANU (PF) fighting for a change and still, freedom and all those men, women and children who perished because the health sector of the country had collapsed. Had the government maintained the sector healthy, a lot of deaths would have been avoided. We have kept quiet while they misruled long enough to let them get away once again. There has not been unity among our folks to collectively rally against the government and the few who did it were beaten, arrested and some were killed while the rest of people were too afraid to intervene. Over the last few years there has been a trend that had been taking root among our society, that if all is well with one, then there is no need to look out for the rest. This selfishness has helped the looters get away with everything because they learned the trick of Europeans when they came to colonize; divide then rule. What we have not realized is that, the divisions have been created by the one who has been using us. We may have different opinions, but when it comes to the matters of our country, we have to protect our common heritage. We have to stop whoever makes a go at what is the essence of our well being. However, we have not realized that as a nation and the cunning politicians hit a home run. At the end of the day, it has become sort of a norm to accept corruption by top officials, we have given them the green light to continue plundering and we give them all sorts of titles; chef, boss, vakuru,mambo whatever they say, bottom line is, it makes no sense at all.

A selected candidate has to be worth the salt. If I put my mark on a name, I expect that person the prove their worth to me, and so, if we go into the election with this mindset, we will see things beginning to shift in the country. Let me say this, things only change if we take action to change them. A lot of people have been slipping into some kind of mentality that has been quite evident in churches, that of wanting things to miraculously to happen and to that, many a smart man have capitalized and since we live in a capitalist world, they made money and the rest of the people are still waiting for the supernatural shift. We pray for change, but we also have to take steps towards meeting that which we hope to come, and that is faith! Well, after these elections, it is my wish to see the elected statesmen being held accountable to their last word. We should all remember, people who run the government work for us, not that we work for them. If we see signs of slacking, then we ask for them to be replaced and that has to happen. It is possible, forget what ZANU (PF) has made everyone to believe that the president is not questioned. I believe that he does not want to be confronted by the people because he knows he is guilty. So, from this election onward, let us set a new culture that of holding every politician accountable and making sure that all our resources are put to use for public benefit. If it is possible, whoever they may be now, we should draw up lists of their promises so as to question them or applaud when they do not fulfill them or fulfill. The duty is for all of us, not for only a few select people who have been doing this and leaving everyone thinking that it is their God-given task. These elections should mark the beginning of good things in Zimbabwe, only if we allow that to happen by voting for the candidate who has a promise for a true democracy, who promises to invigorate the economy and put Zimbabwe back on the map.

That makes me sometimes hate Chimurenga.

Armed forces have been used to repress the people in Zimbabwe

I join millions of Zimbabweans every year on April the 18th to commemorate the day Zimbabwe became a nation under the rule of an African government again. I love it, but is it exactly what it is? Do the celebrations feel real to us when all we are surrounded by are signs of oppression and unfairness of a group of men and women who are blatantly refusing change? It certainly does not give me one hundred percent joy to hear the president bring up the issue of Chimurenga every opportunity he gets. It gives me a feeling that he also has grown quite distanced from revering this undertaking that saw Africans being liberated. The reason being the very fact that some of the heroes who played significant roles in the liberation struggle are sidelined while praises are sung to only a few, including himself. Chimurenga is now used as an excuse by the president and his entire cabinet to cling on to power and suck Zimbabwe dry. The very fact that they say they deserve to rule the nation because they fought the whites has finally made me feel sickened to the core. It is blackmail first degree.

If they fought for the country, what about my maternal grandparents and an uncle who were shot dead during the liberation struggle. My late paternal grandmother told me of the horrific death her brother met. He was a Zvishavane businessman and supporter of the revolutionary army. He died at the hands of the same people whom he supported. Jealousies had arisen and his guts were spilled to the dry earth that gulped his blood thirstily. This did not only happen to my family, it happened to a lot of families other than mine causing untold grief and suffering. The only hope people had was that all this was going to be over sooner or later once the Smith regime was ousted. When independence came around, the high hopes came crashing down. There was and still is misunderstanding, hatred, corruption that all required checking before things spiraled out of control.

  Politicians in Zimbabwe, especially the president, Mr Mugabe, like any other president, found this to be his commitment to the people. Whenever he talks, it seems like he is telling his listeners to forget about people's freedom, forget about their basic rights, forget about what actually constitutes a democratic nation and look intently at the liberation war. The reason I believe is to hoodwink people and by channeling their vision into a historic event he will be able to get away with all the maladministration and failure to bring tangible results to the people of the nation in terms of development in the key areas. Every-time talk about his political rivals, he puts in the wedge of the war, stating that anyone who did not participate in the war deserves not to rule the nation of Zimbabwe, now Mr president, that is warped! It is wicked because it gives me the notion that he has made a private kingdom of our country. Besides, the Chimurenga was a collective effort. The guerrilla fighters dwelt in the bush and were fed by villagers who they slandered and abused at times just because they bore arms. Many women were raped, a lot of children were born without fathers because of this. Growing up, I was told stories of horror that our fighters perpetrated upon the people they were fighting for. It gave me the notion that they were a nasty and arrogant group of people that behaved as they pleased without considering how people felt; just because they had guns. The civilians who were unarmed, fell at the mercy of the two warring factions, the guerrillas and the Rhodesian forces, both of whom punished them for supporting the other. Sell-outs as they were called were a group of people who, sometimes acting out of the need to protect their lives gave information regarding to either one of the formations. Some of these were people who did nothing but just were labelled by enemies who celebrated at their loss of life. They were killed characteristically, all of them. Sometimes the guerrillas organized night parties where people brought food, sang and danced and then the shooting of the traitors were the highlight of the night, after which, shocked and disgusted villagers would return to their homes, having learnt a lesson not to sell out ever. A lot of horrific things occurred at the killings, for example, children would be forced to torch parents, or vice-versa, some people got killed by having burning and liquid poured over their live naked bodies, others were doused with gas etc. Many elderly people, if asked today would just dismiss this as a phase they would never want to revisit again and that is the main reason why the people, generally are a reserved people. The cynicism of the people has given the main political party of the day, ZANU (PF) leeway to once again ride on the backs of the people. They threaten, beat and kill opponents without giving it a thought. It is like reliving the past once again.

  Chimurenga  brought freedom to the land of Zimbabwe, but it is being used today as a means to stop any meaningful opponents in their tracks by the ruling elite. They wield it in front of them as a shield and talk about the very fact that those who are tired of watching them grow richer and arrogant are indeed sell-outs. The MDC, has never revealed to me yet that they want to give Zimbabwe back to the Queen. There is no indication in the party's mission statements that soon as they get the victory, they will rush to England and cede victory to Buckingham Palace or to the British government. Time and time again, we have heard them speak of it as if it has happened already and that is the reason they will hold on till 'donkeys grow horns'. What is disturbing here is the fact that they themselves have turned out to be similar to the system that everyone fought hard to replace. Prior to 1980, only a few people comprised the elite of the nation, and they were entirely white, Europeans or rather Rhodesian.  Black people were paid unfairly, treated like animals and denied many of their rights. Today, there is a few people who are the elite, and these are members of the ruling ZANU (PF). Of course there are other people who made it, but there is no total independence as we would require to propel the country forward. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are non-existent. Freedom to receive education for school-going age children is not there too. School is either expensive or the teachers are just not present. When they learn, there are no jobs because the the economy is in tatters.

Movement for Democratic Change!

   There is still another ongoing Chimurenga and this time, its the people against the self-appointed saviors of our land. At a time like this, it is crucial that everyone sees with clarity that national resources that would otherwise be benefiting everyone are only benefiting a few people. That is the very reason they do not want to vacate their places at this point. Their greed has taken its toll that they think on terms of what they have, and how much more can they still go to get some more. The excuse of the liberation war is as lame as it seems because no one in their rightful minds today would love to live under colonialism. I mean, get a grip, not a single person would give up their country just like that. Zimbabweans have already experienced how it feels to live under colonialism and would never want to again. So that dismisses the theory of Zimbabwe being a colony again. They have used many other ways to dispel people's interest on obtaining their freedom like use of laws such as AIPPA, BSA and POSA to control the people and the media. Most shockingly, violence, they have used it without any second thoughts. Now, time is up for being taken taken on a ride and people have to start demanding freedom and progress for every one's sake. Anyone in this case is entitled to asking questions and I believe the officials in the land's high offices have to be prepared to answer all questions people have. There has to be an end to being afraid to ask because the respondents are ministers or the president. After all, we are all just people, all children of God.

Never again

The national security objectives of Zimbabwe must reflect the resolve of Zimbabweans to live as equals in liberty, peace and harmony, free from fear, and in prosperity- Constitution of Zimbabwe 11.1 (1).

    Words that give hope to an ordinary countryman. They reflect what a democratic nation should be and be governed at any given point. But is it the still smarting people of Zimbabwe's experience? The above words certainly mean good, all the good under the sun but were they followed since the advent of major political opposition to the traditional political party in Zimbabwe? You bet they were! Obviously, the ZANU (PF) led government failed to abide by the words that govern our nation; and why on earth would we still want them to continue occupying the offices they do except to perpetuate the misery and destruction they brought to all the provinces of Zimbabwe?

   While a lot of folks may have differing opinions pertaining to this and to talk about the extent of unfairness in the politics of our country is like the song of a broken record; it seems like the problems have become part of our lives and we accept to live with them. Part of this is true and part of it is not. Since the elections of 2008 and the prior years, there has been lots of suffering of the ordinary citizens caused by unethical practices of the men in the high offices. I remember there was a lot of manipulation prior to the 2008 general elections. There were shortages of basic commodities and the government had to step in and alleviate  the problem, but it turned out that they only did to promote their political agenda. Mealie-meal and other basics were used as an incentive to win supporters although people developed a way of faking to support ZANU (PF) which was the main party that provided these basics at subsidized prices and when they actually voted, they did not for them, but for the opposition. The not so Patriotic Front lost and they results got rigged! Then were those in the rural areas who were scared to vote for candidates of their choice after being lied to that they would be watched if they voted against ZANU. Such lies were told to the unenlightened folks even in the cities. Now, the responsibility therefore is upon all of us today, to enlighten each other about the process of elections and do away with lies that may stop some from voting for parties of their choice.

    Still on that, we were quiet when the beatings occurred.  I remember in the countryside, prior to the 2002 election, when the fury of the Green Bombers was unleashed on helpless villagers. A lot of homes were torched, a lot of folks were killed or maimed. Many young people stopped going to school because they were required to attend to the hapless invaders of their societies. Then the 2005 elections came and went, still the same pattern. People accepted the defeat of the MDC despite the fact that there could have been foul play. ZANU (PF) made its own promises but never followed through. They actually followed through by unleashing one of the most brutal exercises they had ever embarked on since Gukurahundi. Murambatsvina was one nasty occurrence that saw about 700 000 people being displaced and about 220 000 children being disturbed in their studies. The government had explanations for this but they never made any sense except that many people were left out in the cold by a government, elected by the people, to serve the people. It is such a shame and again, the majority of the people never spoke. We only spoke in hushed tones of voices for fear of reprisal. Now countrymen, is it freedom when we are afraid to bring to the table issues that help develop our nation? Is it not like Rhodesia? I am not saying that Rhodesia was better or should come back but I am saying why the efforts to replace it with yet another system that is a spitting image of the former? Mugabe took the place of Smith and all the horrible stories we heard about him. How long can we continue to let the cankerous wound fester? How long should we continue to suppress creativity of young people just because the president has some personal issues with being questioned or being held responsible for the state of affairs in our nation? In 2011 we heard of the youths who were arrested for laughing at the caricatures of the first lady and the reserve bank governor, we heard last year of men who were arrested in different incidents for possessing or drawing caricatures of the president. While they are busy chasing the artists, they are letting the real criminals who are stealing from the nation's coffers walk Scot free. 

      It is a pity and shame that even with a clear cut role of the law maintenance unit of a country, we still get abused by the same who are supposed to protect the people by application of the law. What has happened is totally unacceptable. We cannot let it happen all over again and the people do nothing about it. Chihuri and his crew are just but an extension of the ZANU machine meant to keep the people under suppression. Speaking about the unruly operations of a ZANU (PF)'s arm of violence among civilians, Amnesty international reported;

There have been consistent reports of human rights violations by security forces against perceived political opponents and members of the public. Similarly the police have been accused of handing criminals over to Chipangano gang members who have subjected them to torture before they were taken back into custody and charged.

    Should we continue to take the sidelines and be observers while the gang-men run away with our future? As he future generation, I believe it is the time to take the stance and start being seriously involved in the affairs that matter. The beatings of our parents and us, the dogma and the laws all have to be done away with. The permission to approach has been granted, all it needs now is to act and most assuredly, things are going to change for the better.

And the Brits got us by the big toe! Bit 1.

I am sitting waiting and wishing that I was one of the early world travelers who rocked the tabloids and still grace our books of history today. I know it is bad to wish to be someone I am not, especially with my talents and ambitions, I feel a tinge of betrayal of my own dreams but I entertain the wish and let it stay a little bit longer. The thing is, the world as we know it today, was not always like this. I though of Christopher Columbus and Cecil John Rhodes and many men who sojourned from their native lands to unknown lands and ended up making history out of it. Old Chris came to America, we sang songs about him coming in a 'saucepan', while our old chum Rhodes went on to pursue a dream to establish for him and the queen (probably) an empire that stretched from Cape to Cairo. There are still thriving capitalist establishments that revere this dream and from Cecil's ambitions, came a whole lot of dramatic changes ever seen on the face of Africa.

        I remember, when I was a little boy with no care in the world, running along the street after an old car tire with friends, seeing fathers coming from their jobs. Some wore overalls, others wore casual clothing while the proud ones strutted erect down the streets donning jackets and ties. These were like my teachers who emphasized that we all speak in English and be always on point; i.e. always have clean school clothes on, pressed and washed. We had to look like English school boys, complete with neat haircuts or properly combed hair. I was fascinated by the English themselves of which I though every Caucasian person was English. I was taken aback the other day when a teacher from overseas came to my school and she could not speak English very well. From there on, I knew that English was only spoken in some parts of the world.

      Well, back to the English, those daring fearfulness men who came into my forefathers' country or land, and convinced them that they had a smarter brain than any of them and also that their culture was more hip than theirs and so they had to dump it and take up theirs. That is when all problems began. The forefathers bought the propaganda and threw away their clothes and ululated at their wonderful discovery. While they did this jig, the European was busy rubbing his mustache that they never realize that his intentions were quite insidious.The European craze soon engulfed the entire region and soon enough, the resources that were in the entire continent were being siphoned till this day. The Brits did not only have my forefathers following, they had their land and they ruled them! Now imagine a turned around situation, if instead, the Africans were the adventurous ones, imagine if today we would be having for example, Zambian Ireland, Azania East Euope, Zimbabwe England Company or Zaire Belgium!  It wouldn't fun, wouldn't it? Instead of the queen owning vast tracts of land, the kings and chiefs of the motherland would be.

  Colonialism came and we heard about it, those who were born after it happened that is, and the fatal mistake that today's breed of African rulers make is to be played like puppets on strings by the mechanics of the old system. Many still go with the vibe of being Englishmen, or trying to act like them at least. It is evidenced by their lifestyles and everything they do and also by lack of reform to make life for their nation states more African. That would be the basis of an African development and competency because at the moment, the systems running the continent are tied to the former colonial masters in a way, therefore, we think we are freed, yet, we are chained to them, one way or the other!