via Zimbabwe will be better off without the Mugabes August 14, 2014 by Vince Musewe
When one flies back into Zimbabwe, it is like going back in time. It is depressing and difficult not be angered on how President Robert Mugabe has over the years destroyed opportunity and development of our beautiful country.
The sad part is that most poor Zimbabweans have gotten used to this poverty and those who continue to support a Mugabe dynasty clearly demonstrate that they cannot even imagine a better Zimbabwe that some of us want.
I am amazed, intrigued and certainly disappointed that we are letting Mugabe treat Zimbabwe like his backyard. Now we have the very likely possibility that Zimbabwe will belong to the Mugabes while we stand aside and look.
The exuberant support of the pending appointment of First Lady Grace Mugabe as the head of the women’s league by Zanu PF provinces certainly demonstrates that constitutions and competence do not matter anymore and poses a huge risk to democracy in Zimbabwe.
Having said that, I guess members of Zanu PF, like any other political party, have the choice who becomes their leader. I am still to understand their thinking and motives, but poor masses hardly make informed decisions. However, we who are outside Zanu PF can only anticipate the impending self-manufactured leadership disaster which, unfortunately, will have a negative impact on our country.
Our only responsibility can therefore be to ensure that Zanu PF ceases to be a majority political party in Zimbabwe. In fact, it would be preferable with them completely out of the political picture because this organisation has destroyed livelihoods and continues to pursue policies that are arresting our potential as a country.
In order to achieve that, we must only have fresh new elections after electoral reforms. These reforms must take away sole control of the voters’ roll from
Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede, reconstitute the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and, as far as I am concerned, Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau should go. We also cannot have a partisan police force which means that Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri must go.
We must also see a totally free media. These are the tools of oppression that Zanu PF continues to use and as long as they control them, we are wasting our time and building unachievable expectations for those Zimbabweans who want change.
No dictatorship has ever been negotiated out of power. What is critical is for a broad base of democratic forces to emerge and force for political change.
I expect that a convention of democratic movements and civic bodies will happen soon. We must ensure that such a body achieves its objectives and that it is led by credible people with no vested interest in achieving personal political ambitions. That will remain our challenge.
I continue to point out to many Zimbabweans that unless we each take the responsibility to change our country, nobody else will. What we will get instead is the entrenchment of the Mugabes; that is utterly disheartening because they have nothing good to offer to this country.
As the economy collapses, we have seen that Mugabe does not really care nor does he have the capability to turn around our economy. We must also realise that ex-Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai does not have a concrete plan besides entrenching himself as the president of the MDC-T in September.
The renewal team is certainly promising, but again, in my opinion, they cannot have the sole responsibility for the task ahead. Opposition parties have no resources to speak of and most do not have a vibrant membership base and can only fight through Press conferences. Those in the Diaspora are ready and willing to make things happen, but are waiting. We cannot fight a dictatorship through Press conferences, what we need is decisive action on the ground.
We can only build a sustainable inclusive democracy in Zimbabwe through a fundamental change in our political institutions; this will then lead to the emergence of an inclusive economy in the future. Unfortunately those who created these exclusive political institutions are not about to go away.
Personally I do not accept that Mugabe represents my future anymore, I also do not accept that First Lady Grace Mugabe represents the future and can lead progressive women in Zimbabwe. In fact, I do not accept that Zanu PF in its totality and anyone associated with it for that matter can create the Zimbabwe we all want.
I know many of you out there agree with this, but without unity, action, purpose and courage to save our country, we will not prevail. There is really nothing stopping us except our imagined fear and the pursuit of selfish ambition by most of our opposition leaders.
Zimbabwe can prosper, but only without Mugabe and his relatives at the top.
COMMENTS
Vince, since 1980, we long told you to stop mobilising on tribe/language; you never listened.
You believed the ZANU PF propaganda, that some Zimbabweans had to go back to South Africa, were they belonged; where, because of laziness they flock to after “O” levels.
You unofficially decreed that these Zimbabweans, should they be considered for any senior positions – the President position was beyond them. The furthest they could go was to be deputies.
Whilst pursuing your MWANAWEKUSHA objectives in employment and language use right across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe, you went out of your ways to help ZANU PF implement the 1979 Grand Plan, under the guise of exercising your rights to live and work and speak your language in any part of the country; as if this was never the case during the Rhodesian days.
Need I remind you that people deed indeed lived, worked and spoke their languages in any part of Rhodesia; but the difference was in their attitudes towards their hosts. The current majoritarian attitudes are informed by the dominant ZANU PF gukurahundi political environment of intolerance; hence the now so “all-pervasive andinzwi Chindevere mantras”, even after someone has been living in Mthwakazi for the past 10-15 years.
The consequences of these policies are all there to be seen in Mthwakazi today – total failure of children – with teachers teaching grade one pupils in Shona, instead of introducing them to English through their mother tongue – a double blow/disadvantage for the little ones.
You are now crying out loud, because all your gukurahundi plans have gone up in smoke; after those you trusted betrayed you. Seeing that the head of state position in Zimbabwe is for Shonas, the only qualification; yes indeed Grace Mugabe will be your President. She is Shona after all, so she qualifies – whats the big deal? You made your bed, now sleep on it.
People like Welshman Ncube and Dumiso Dabengwa have borne this gukurahundism with dignity – after being unofficially told to never dare try their luck on the tribally reserved highest office in the land. They are branded “tribalists” on the basis of their language, names and surnames; accusations that are never directed at people like Simba Makoni and Tswangirayi.
Mind you, no evidence of this tribalism has ever been proffered and none is required. Just a ZANU PF inherited tactic of neutralisng political opposition/opponents from Matebeleland. Lessons well learnt, for it worked well in destroying Dr Joshua Nkomo and his PF ZAPU!!
A bit over the top, but the truth really
Wait and see what these tribalists will say against what you said Straight Shooter, you hit it on the head brother.
This has been his succession plan all along:
Prime Minister 1980 : Robert Mugabe
President, First Sec, Commander in chief forever, …Robert
Members of Parliament : Sabina Mugabe (sister)
: Zhuwawu “Mugabe” (nephew)
: Leo Mugabe (nephew)
: Walter “Mugabe” Chidhakwa (nephew)(Minister)
Women’s League boss : Sally Mugabe (Ex wife)
: Oppah “Mugabe” Muchinguri(Ex …)
: Grace “Emelda Marcos” Mugabe (current wife)
Youth league boss : Chatunga (designate) (“son”)
This family must be a dynamo of intellectuals. No one else in Zim has the abilities of “Mugabe” dynasty
Yes, because of your tribalism!!
Vince how can one tell that so and so is a credible leader? Is it the looks or the charisma? You are right that money is the major constraint to present crop of party leaders in Zimbabwe. May I remind you that the laws of this country do not allow political parties funding from outside the country. Perhaps you want to investigate the number of genuine opposition political parties. You will be surprised to find that they are not more than two or three at most. The rest are proxy parties disguised as opposition parties to confuse real opposition. Real opposition parties are denied exposure through government controlled media. Politics in this country is a closed shop open only to those in power.
What do you mean when you say
‘Political Parties cannot be
financed from outside the Country”.
The Mugabages and ZPF have been
financed by China since day one,
not to mention Nikuv of late.
I say have the Diaspora set up a
Political Slush Fund for an
Opposition Party……
Vince you said nothing new here other than simply endorsing the renewal crop led by Tendai Biti. Just say that rather kungowawata zviri pachena. You are less intellectual in case you were masquerading as such.
Mugabe listened, only once, to venerated African leaders. He was told that as he was inheriting one of the most advanced and succesful countries in Africa that he should look after the people both black and white. This all ended when he lost the referendum in the late nineties. This time he felt so secure in his position that he did not send his terror apparatus out into the population, which is what he did prior to independence and apart from this one time, ever since. Now with the country resembling a rotting corpse, he no longer cares for any of his people. It is now only about self and his rotten family. How much longer will Zimbabweans tolerate this.
Vince is right in one respect, it is undoubtedly the mugabe’s who are holding back the country. Can I be the only one who will not visit the country again until they are gone ??? I think not.
Me too – it would be like going
back to your beautiful childhood
home, only to see it torched,
smoldering and smelling of death.
I cannot return until Mugarbage
is in the landfill!