Source: ZIPP challenges youths – DailyNews Live
Blessing Kasiyamhuru 23 March 2018
AS THE 2018 general election fast approaches, Zimbabwe Partnership for
Prosperity (ZIPP) challenges the youths in Zimbabwe to rise up and vote in
numbers as this crucial vote will help shape their future. The first step
is for them to register to vote and show up to vote on Election Day.
While young voters notoriously neglect the importance of voting, their
voice is an important one because democracy doesn’t work without citizen
participation. Their vote does matter, so much so because history has
shown that a collective youth vote could actually sway an election.
Voting gives the youths the power to make important choices as they decide
what they like, don’t like and their voices are heard. If they fail to
vote they are yielding the ultimate power to adults to make decisions
about the leaders and laws that will shape and lead society for decades.
It is always essential that young Zimbabweans take advantage of their
right to vote, creating a future that aligns with their fundamental
beliefs and setting a precedent for future generations.
Regrettably, ZIPP has noticed that in the past the youth in Zimbabwe have
not used their huge numbers at the ballot box to shape political and
socio-economic decisions. Interestingly, the youths are known to complain
about issues that affect them yet squander opportunities to influence the
election of people who share their aspirations.
The majority of the youths today are walloping in poverty as the country
witnesses high unemployment levels believed to be hovering over 90 percent
which if unchecked, will be a disaster in waiting for the government. They
also still face a host of other challenges, including limited access to
entrepreneurship opportunities and credit for setting up businesses.
It is not a secret that high unemployment levels in Zimbabwe are quite
undesirable especially after President Robert Mugabe’s 2013 election
promise to deliver more than two million jobs by 2018 that has not come to
pass.
While every year Zimbabwe produces an estimated 300 000 graduates from its
16 universities plus others coming out of polytechnic colleges, nursing
schools, teachers colleges and apprenticeships, the country’s floundering
economy that is starved of investment and job creation can scarcely absorb
a fraction of these.
This paints a grim picture of many young people with no source of income
and no future to look forward to.
It is against this background that ZIPP urges all the unemployed youths to
take time out and exercise their only hope for a better future, which is
to vote for a government that will address their employment needs.
Young voters who want to inspire change need to show their support for the
candidates whom they feel best represent their needs because no one else
is going to vote in the interest of young people except young people.
ZIPP urges government, Zimbabwe Election Commission, NGOs, political
parties, churches and learning institutions to create enough awareness
among the youth as to why they should vote.
And it is only in Zimbabwe that we have an organisation like Zimbabwe
Coalition of Unemployed Graduates formed by jobless but highly qualified
youths. The coalition has since presented a petition to the Parliament of
Zimbabwe highlighting their dissatisfaction with the state of the economy.
ZIPP also challenges Zimbabwe Coalition of Unemployed Graduates to
mobilise its wide membership to register and vote.
Zanu PF government is struggling to deal with a worsening unemployment
crisis as companies collapse, hence our call for youths to use the only
weapon still in their possession – the vote.
Local companies have resorted to retrenchment for business sustainability
and survival while others have been forced to restructure and downsize as
a direct response to low capacity utilisation and product demand.
Over time, the increase in retrenchments has seen unemployment figures
rising.
For the few companies still operating, foreign currency to buy new
equipment has been a challenge and as a result companies are forced to use
obsolete machinery susceptible to frequent breakdowns.
As a government in waiting ZIPP promises to conduct an audit of our
country’s human resource base; to see how many graduates are jobless – be
they teachers, nurses, engineers so that we can work around creating the
necessary jobs.
Understanding role of justice, security cluster
Mathew 8: 9; “For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under
me. And I say to this one, `Go,’ and he goes, and to another, `Come,’ and
he comes, and to my servant, `Do this,’ and he does it.”
I HAVE seen too many military academy movies and have been around many
soldiers around my world travels to know that these valiant brothers and
sisters do what they do, not for themselves but for a cause bigger than
their individual self, goals or objectives.
These are men and women who have dedicated their lives to a cause and will
literally put their life on the line for that cause.
This is a unique set of human beings that would give their life for the
defence of total strangers or similarly for those that they know
personally in the name of duty.
The training that soldiers, police or any security personnel go through is
designed to expunge the “individual” from the trainee until only the
“collective” or objective is left.
If the training has been effective, then a member of the security
personnel comes out at the other side of the military factory completely
under authority, ready to obey without question any command from their
superiors.
Any deviation from that result would be considered a failed training
programme. Instructors drum it in the soldier’s or policeman’s psyche that
the individual does not exist anymore but the whole, the mission, and
obeying orders is what guarantees the survival of the whole therefore his
or her survival as well.
It is totally acceptable for the individual to perish in order for the
whole or the objective to succeed.
Unfortunately the picture painted above is against the “nature” of
organisms like us human beings whose conscious and unconscious mind is
wired for the survival of the particular individual first before anything
else.
It is from this understanding that I would like to paint an alternative
picture of the demonised security personnel in Zimbabwe.
Many ordinary Zimbabweans actually mistakenly believe that our policemen,
soldiers or any other security personnel in our country has the luxury of
choosing which orders to obey and which ones not to.
Besides being an offence punishable by long jail sentences or even death,
disobeying orders is against the very nature of a trained security
personnel.
For lack of a better analogy, a soldier or policemen is like a gun or a
tool. A gun will only shoot where it is pointed by the person handling or
controlling the gun.
The person controlling the gun is the one who pulls the trigger for
whatever reasons that he or she deems fit.
Soldiers and policemen or the dreaded intelligence operatives are all but
tools that obey the person who has authority to give the orders.
All personnel that are subordinate to that person have no other option but
to obey that order.
A nation’s security assets or personnel are as good as the people giving
the orders. Just like the centurion mentioned in the gospel of Matthew,
Chapter 8, the serviceman’s authority does not come from himself/ herself
but from others above his pay-grade so to speak.
He concedes that he also has authority over many soldiers but only because
he also obeys his superiors. Any insubordination immediately strips the
servicemen of any authority.
This then begs the question of, how does a new Zimbabwe under a Zimbabwe
Partnership for Prosperity (ZIPP) government protect our security
personnel from abuse by any future megalomaniacs or anyone with
destructive personal interests against any section of the population of
Zimbabwe.
ZIPP aims to create a justice and security services cluster that
integrates the whole personal and national security value chains.
The central theme to a ZIPP approach to Justice and National Security is
to separate the state from party politics.
Politicians have no business running the courts, army, prison services,
police or the intelligence services. We must leave the running of these
State organs to professionals in the respective fields.
A politician has not been through any military training of law school and
consequently is not in any position to understand the code of conduct that
govern a serviceman or a judge/magistrate for that matter.
Giving politicians power over the army or police is like giving a 2 year
old a loaded gun. Political interests are for ever changing and should be
confined policy formulation and implementation across such areas as how to
govern national resources, relationships between social groups and
relationships between nations.
The provision of justice should be independent of political influence,
just as medical practice or provision of education. Justice services are
centred around case management the full value chain starts with how a case
get reported, investigated, judged, redressed and ultimately justice
served.
This process brings together different aspects of the security personnel
at various points of the value chain in order to ensure justice for all
citizens or non-citizens within the borders of the nation of Zimbabwe.
The police, sometimes army and national intelligence, prison and
correctional services officials and justice administrators like
prosecutors, judges and magistrates work together to ensure that justice
is served equitably in Zimbabwe.
Our national security services primarily seek to protect the nation from
threats, both internal and external. These professional government organs
should be guided by national policies, strategies as well as international
standards.
Never again shall we allow our army to be subject to the whims of
civilians in the form of politicians.
Never again shall we allow our police or intelligence professionals to be
subject to the control of political interests. Zimbabwe as a nation still
boasts one of the most educated and trained military forces within Africa.
We need to bring back the pride of our nation into the security
establishment where serving the people of Zimbabwe becomes once again the
priority of our brave brothers and sisters in uniform.
Just like Yeshua, the Messiah said to the centurion in Mathew chapter 8:
an understanding that authority comes from obedience to something higher
than yourself goes a long way into making a good solider, policemen or
intelligence officer.
A security officer without superiors has no authority but that from
himself or herself. That kind of serviceman is “rogue” and does not
deserve to serve a nation like Zimbabwe that has been given the
responsibility by God to lead Africa to greatness within this millennium.
The same applies if we leave our police, army or intelligence officers to
be directed by politicians.
We would be creating a cancerous growth in our country.
ZIPP receives all Zimbabweans into a partnership to bring prosperity and
posterity to all our people in Zimbabwe. Our partnership is extended to
individual Zimbabwean regardless of their profession.
It is with great sadness that some families, including wives of servicemen
in Zimbabwe are under the impression that the law prohibits them from
voting.
We encourage all Zimbabweans to insist on their right to vote in the 2018
harmonised elections.
At ZIPP we do not judge anyone because they are policemen, national
intelligence officers, soldiers or prison officials. ZIPP is a political
party for individual Zimbabweans, all Zimbabweans.
No Zimbabwean is less of a Zimbabwean by virtue of their profession,
colour, tribe, religion or political party. Our security organs must seek
a non-partisan path in the 2018 elections to pave the way for a new
Zimbabwe where they serve and protect the population and the country in
general.
A ZIPP government shall encourage divergent views at an individual level
for the betterment of the collective nation of Zimbabwe and therefore
urges our justice and security sector to play their part in upholding the
democratic principles as enshrined in our beautiful national constitution.
Justice and security for all our citizens, resources and borders is a
priority and we believe that positioning our Justice and security sectors
correctly is key to a prosperous Zimbabwe.
These sectors are key in ensuring the restoration of the rule of law in
all aspects of our Zimbabwean society, which is a catalyst for direct
investment from both Zimbabweans and foreign internationals seeking
partnerships within Zimbabwe’s attractive telecommunications, agriculture,
mining, tourism, or manufacturing industries.
ZIPP is about commitment, conviction, honesty
ZIMBABWE Partnership for Prosperity (ZIPP) leadership code borrows a lot
from the principles held by our fathers when they left the liberation
struggle in 1980.
It was the commitment, conviction, honesty and dedication espoused in the
code that drove and won the liberation war.
Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity firmly upholds the principle of
equality of man before God. Therefore publicly or privately a leader may
not advocate or practice any of the following: tribalism, regionalism,
sectionalism, nepotism, racialism, and gender discrimination.
ZIPP regards corruption as an evil disease, destructive of society and
shall institute a ZERO tolerance to corruption in our nation.
Therefore it is hereby decreed that a leader shall not; accept or obtain
from any person or for any other person a gift or consideration as
inducement or reward for doing or failing to do or for having done or
fore-borne to do any act in relation to the party’s business or the
business of the Government or for the purpose of showing or fore-bearing
to show favour or disfavour to any person in relation to the affairs of
the party or Government; give or offer a gift to any person as an
inducement to that other person to do a favour or as a reward for a favour
he has obtained or been promised; make collusive arrangements with
commercial or other persons or secretly obtain consideration for himself
or for another person or fail to disclose the full nature of the
transaction to the party or to Government; decline to disclose his
personal financial affairs or other assets to a properly constituted party
or Government body of officials investigating corruption.
ZIPP believes that a leader who concentrates on acquiring property or who
personally engages in the exploitation of man by man rapidly becomes an
enemy of Zimbabwe and of the masses of the population.
Except as provided in this section and except as required by his official
position, a leader may therefore not; own a business, a share or an
interest in a business organised for profit, provided that this shall not
be interpreted as prohibiting such petty side-line activities as
chicken-runs, small plots and gardens on one’s residential property;
receive more than one salary; serve as a director of a private firm or
business organised for profit; own real estate or other property or an
interest in real estate or other property from which he receives rents or
royalties; own more than one dwelling house: except as dictated by family
requirements, but in no event shall additional houses be for purposes of
earning rents; except with respect to interest received on account of
monies deposited in a savings bank or similar institution, receive
interest or other income on account of money loaned to another; no leader
shall indulge in Chimbadzo; own or have beneficial interest in more than
500 Hactares of land.
Nothing in this section prohibits a leader from receiving a fee/ or a
royalty on account of a book or work of art or patent that he/she
personally wrote, created or invented.
Where a relative/ friend indulges in business or other profit-making
activities, ZIPP National Executive Committee (NEC) shall have a right to
ascertain that leader does not derive any financial benefits from them.
In no circumstances shall relatives be used as fronts to business
ventures. The ZIPP NEC shall require that leaders disclose their assets
periodically, and when so asked, leaders shall comply. While a leader may
secure a loan against his salary, in no circumstances shall he/she use his
position to borrow funds or secure any other personal benefits.
It is against this strong leadership code that ZIPP leadership hopes to
instill good governance in our national leaders to partner with citizens
and businessmen to usher in Prosperity and posterity in our life time.
Women a pillar in ZIPP
ONE of Zimbabwe Partnership For Prosperity (ZIPP)’s main political pillars
is the women and girl child, and it is the party’s mandate to see to it
that we put in place laws and policies that increase their participation
in decision-making bodies and positions in both the private and public
sectors.
We believe that the empowered women and girls contribute to the health and
productivity of their families.
While Zimbabwean women have long been regarded as the backbone of our
society it is shocking that cases of child marriage, harmful traditional
practices, and gender-based violence still rank highly among the scourges
that have held back their progress.
A ZIPP government will offer the right combination of vocational and life
skills training that can improve adolescent girls’ livelihoods. We have
also realised that most women that are self-employed in the informal
sector have no access to finance to grow their businesses, hence our
government will address this and we will fight market segregation as it
often relegates women to less productive sectors.
Within its mandate for advocacy and coordination of UN System and
international support for peace, security, human rights and inclusive
development in Africa, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA)
places a special emphasis on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
With women making up more than 50 percent of Africa’s population, many
advocates of gender empowerment question how the continent’s current
economic growth and outlook will be sustained, if the subjugation of
women’s issues is still deeply and widely embedded.
We have since discovered that poverty and work demands in the home often
prevent girls from attending school, a trend which is further compounded
by child marriage.
This inequality resulted in many poor girls in Zimbabwe’s rural areas,
being forced into early marriage as with their parents’ consent, girls as
young as 16 years old.
Access to family planning and maternal health services typically results
in improved economic opportunity for women and lower fertility.
Lack of education, and poverty in a broad way, are main factors that
undermine gender equality while culture, traditions and religion also play
a big role in sustaining that inequality.
Women are essential to ending poverty around the world. Because they are
highly entrepreneurial and statistics show that they own a third of all
businesses across Africa.
We believe as ZIPP that in leadership positions, women can also help to
develop policies that support women and girls, and continue to provide
greater opportunities for jobs, education and health services.
While Zimbabwean women have made considerable gains in the political,
economic and social development of the continent, they are still widely
marginalised within the corridors of power and when applying for jobs; and
continue to face social exclusion, from education to their inability to
own land or inherit property. As ZIPP we will address this anomaly.
Is reported that in 47 out of 54 African countries, girls have less than a
50 per cent chance of completing primary school.
In 2011, UNICEF estimated that 31 million girls of primary school age and
34 million girls of lower secondary school age were not enrolled in school
and according to statistics, one in four women globally are still
illiterate, with most of them living in sub-Saharan Africa.
ZIPP also believes that violence against women and girls is a predicament
to the enjoyment of women’s economic and social rights.
Statistics from the National Baseline Survey on the Life Experiences of
Adolescents (NBSLEA, 2012) show that a third of all girls experiencing
violence in the form of rape and beatings before the age of 18.
Another survey from the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS, 2012)
shows that almost half of all women experience gender based violence in
their lives; mostly perpetrated by their own partners.
As ZIPP we are saddened that many women and girls in Zimbabwe still face
discrimination and still have particular difficulties in achieving their
full and equal rights; remaining disproportionally affected by poverty,
gender based violence and marginalization.
It is however encouraging that over the years, African Governments,
regional and sub-regional organizations have made significant commitments
towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Following the adoption of the African Union Gender policy in 2009, African
leaders launched the African Women’s Decade 2010-2020 and the Fund for
African Women to accelerate the implementation of all commitments on
gender equality and women’s empowerment on the continent.
Also at the 24th Summit of the African union held on 23-31 January 2015 in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, African Heads of State and Government adopted
Agenda 2063, the continent’s 50-year structural transformation and
development agenda.
As of 2015, African countries constitute a third of the countries with
national action plans designed to implement UN Security Council Resolution
1325 on women, peace and security.
We therefore believe as ZIPP that women who are empowered become solutions
to poverty, poor health and vulnerability for their families and within
their communities.
We also strongly believe that women and girls have to participate in the
economic, social, and political development within their community and
have equal access to health information and services, education,
employment and political positions.
Church has to speak for God
WE believe as Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (Zipp) that while the
church might not have any right to reflect political partisan as we face
the 2018 watershed elections, it can only guide its members towards the
most biblical candidate or party by encouraging its members to vote in the
way God leads them.
We say this because the purpose of a government, as God created it, is a
noble one.
With the current political, social and economic upheavals in the country
we challenge the church to be bold and forthright, constructive and
innovative. The church has to be “salt and light” in Zimbabwe’s political
policy formulation.
The church in Zimbabwe’s involvement in politics should be through its
prophetic ministry which speaks into policy in the name of God; engaging
with government on justice, corruption, leadership, education, health care
and security.
From the biblical King Samuel, David and Solomon among others, God would
rule his people through his anointed, drawing an invisible line between
politics and religion.
In the Old Testament we see; Daniel and Joseph serving God in the office
of Presidency while in the New Testament we have Sergius Paulus, the Roman
proconsul (Governor of Rome), who was converted to Christianity and
remained in office.
There are biblical books dealing with political rulers; 1 and 2 Samuel, 1
and 2 Kings, and Judges. In Genesis and in Daniel, we see godly men
serving well in pagan courts, for the good of all. In Romans 13 and 1
Peter 2, we hear that God has established the civil magistrate, and we are
to obey the government. In Exodus, we see Moses rebuking Pharaoh for
mistreating the Hebrews.
Proverbs 11:14 says: “Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble, but
with good counsellors there is safety.”
So as Zipp we are urging the church to mobilise its members to register
and vote for wise leadership in the 2018 elections.
As a young political party with a strong Christian background, we believe
the participation of church members in politics and more so the coming
2018 elections does not detract them from spirituality because a
spirituality that is unrelated to politics is questionable.
While Zimbabwe is a multi-religious country, Christianity controls a major
share; hence the institution of the local church will always play a major
role in social, political and economic issues. And so is in voting time.
The role of the church in the country’s political struggles during the
colonial era when Zimbabweans were fighting for independence are a
testimony that when the people have their rights stolen, it must intervene
and give back the voice to the people.
Equally, the church of today is heavily seized in socio-political-economic
issues as evidenced by the impact of Christian missions to Zimbabwe
through providing food, education, health services and spiritual guidance.
Jesus said Christians were to be salt and light in the world, the yeast in
the dough of society, hence our call as Zipp is for the church body polity
to encourage its membership to register and vote for the benefit of all.
Over the years we have had church institutions like Zimbabwe Divine
Destiny, Christian Prophetic Voice Zimbabwe, Christian Voice, Catholic
Commission for Justice and Peace, Christian Alliance and Prayer Network
Zimbabwe among others confronting government and airing their concerns
over the deterioration of the political, economic and social fabric.
As we urge the church to participate, the Christians in the political
arena have to commit themselves to honesty and integrity in all areas of
their lives.
As ZIPP we are of the strong opinion that the church has to be prophetic
and speaking for God.
Give peace a chance in 2018
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe in his youth fearlessly faced the repressive
legislations and state security operatives of the Rhodesian government as
he fought for equal recognition of all citizens of Zimbabwe by the
electoral laws of the nation.
Similarly, today we urge our President to give our youthful political
leaders a free and fair chance to constitutionally challenge for the
leadership of the nation without any spilling of blood.
I challenge Mugabe to declare that no Zimbabwean blood shall be spilled in
the 2018 harmonized elections.
May we as Zimbabweans accommodate each other and distance ourselves from
selfishness, violence and intolerance. There is a better Zimbabwe waiting
for us just beyond our current comfort zones and biases.
The belief that Zanu PF cannot legislate itself out of power relegates our
democracy. Zanu PF and ZAPU among others fought to give Zimbabweans a
right to choose their leaders by a plebiscite, not violent uprisings,
death and chaos.
Do we as Zimbabweans want 150 years to learn to allow freedom of choice
without intimidation or shedding of blood?
Growth is gradual. Galactic paradigm shifts take root over time. The
Zimbabwean ‘democratic’ landscape is fraught with violence and intolerance
after 37 years of political liberty.
It is sad that a minority in Zimbabwe have put themselves in a position of
privilege through partisan allegiance, nepotism, corruption, patronism,
factionalism, boot-licking, murder and violence but that too is a mirage.
True prosperity comes when all Zimbabweans are completely free both
politically and economically. Without that, everyone will always be living
in fear of their countryman.
Meanwhile, those in the diaspora have a false sense of belonging. They are
enjoying material success while watching the tragic events unfolding in
Zimbabwe with ‘judgement’ in their eyes.
Many are in some comfort zones that are sadly based on a false sense of
acceptance by those in their countries of economic refuge. True freedom,
prosperity and ownership can only be experienced in a fully functioning
Zimbabwe.
The privileged citizens will hide behind walls of oppressive legislation
and policies while the poor will always, like an active volcano, build
pressure from deep within until one day it all boils over into chaos,
violence and death.
Many today cannot imagine a Zimbabwe without Zanu PF or Mugabe at the
helm. These people live in a bubble which unfortunately lacks the
realities of a 21st century state.
The era of liberation movements is gone. We are in a new dispensation of
eGovernment, Bitcoins, Circular economy and global warming.
God is trusting Zimbabwe to the God fearing youth of today. Zimbabwe needs
young God fearing leadership to cross the Jordan into Canaan.
Our elders in the current Zimbabwean political landscape condemn Mugabe
for centralizing political power, fostering factionalism, holding on to
power and self-serving policies yet most of the ‘big’ opposition political
leaders, just need to look into a small mirror to see the same gigantic
flaws.
Current Zimbabwean and African politics is a summation of serious
ideological blunders, constant blame games and bickering among political
opponents in their bid to lead African nations to a better future, a
future of political and economic liberty.
The fundamental flaw in current African thinking is the demonisation of
past leadership, expecting immediate changes in our undesirable situations
without the necessary payment of the pound of flesh, to the extent of
forcing ourselves into a cul-de-sac.
In Canada and in the US, this is the season of liberty, as both countries
will soon celebrate their Independence Days. Canada won its independence
slowly and peacefully, and for the US, it was a long and violent struggle.
For both, gaining political independence was a process. Both countries,
like Zimbabwe, were colonies of Great Britain.
The Colonists’ primary complaint against Britain was: taxation without
representation. Britain prided itself on the maxim, “No man shall be
taxed, but by his own consent,” and yet felt no compunction about taxing
the colonies without allowing them representation in the British
parliament.
Addressing the House of Commons in a vigorous debate, noted political
philosopher, Edmund Burke said, “To prove that the Americans ought not to
be free, we are obliged to depreciate the value of freedom itself; and we
never seem to gain a paltry advantage over them in debate, without
attacking some of those principles, or deriding some of those feelings,
for which our ancestors have shed their blood.”
King George III and his government, just like many current African
leaders, especially the present former liberation based political parties,
certainly had a blind spot when it came to freedom.
They championed freedom and equality, but only for those they deemed
worthy. This blind spot was roundly criticized by the Colonists who had
made America and Canada their homes, who ironically had their own blind
spot. Their self-evident and inalienable rights to liberty and the pursuit
of happiness were denied to slaves.
The Ian Smith regime suffered from the same disease of lack of periphery
vision in relation to their treatment of the majority Zimbabwean
population of African ancestry.
It is trap we find ourselves in which some Zimbabweans have become more
equal than others. The ruling pigs in “Animal Farm” so to speak.
Seismic shifts in perspective come in stages. When a radically new idea is
proposed, we might embrace it on its merits, but we don’t immediately
realize its full application. It took Britain a full century and a half to
acknowledge that the colonies were worthy of independence. It would take
yet another century before Canada gained its independence.
Not surprisingly, the same was true for the Colonists. It took them nearly
a century to free the slaves, another half century to grant women the
right to vote, and yet another half century to secure full civil rights
for all.
ZIPP in transit to Canaan
DR Blessing Kasiyamhuru, 40 an entrepreneur and academic launched the
Zimbabwe Partnership for Prosperity (Zipp) in South Africa. This is a
party which he says and believes will be a serious player in this year’s
polls/elections.
Kasiyamhuru says he is not interested in joining the so-called grand
coalition to challenge for the presidency.
And in his own words: “My name is Blessing Kasiyamhuru, (I was) born in
Zimbabwe. I am an entrepreneur and an academic, a holder of a Masters’
degree in Management and development finance, Ph.D in Public and
Development Management and a post-doctoral political science student at
the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and with years of
consulting experience in governance and strategy within the region.
I personally believe that the understanding of good governance and fear of
God is what is required to run a country in the 21st century. Which brings
me to the statement of saying that the main downfall of the so-called
opposition political parties is that they do not have the anointing of God
to lead the country; their leaders have yesterday’s solutions for today’s
problems, and they have not prioritised the revolutionary agenda. His
Excellency President Robert Mugabe was anointed by God to lead Zimbabwe,
and knows what his mandate was, where he did well and where he failed
Zimbabwe.
Our message is simple: Z.I.P.P _embraces the revolutionary agenda of our
ancestors like King Lobengula, ambuya Nehanda and sekuru Kaguvi. The same
agenda that had our elders like Ndabaningi Sithole, Herbert Chitepo,
Joshua Nkomo, taking up arms to dislodge the colonial regime of Ian Smith.
This agenda had political independence and economic freedom at the top of
priorities. Only political independence has been achieved
Z.I.P.P acknowledges the contributions to Zimbabwe’s political freedom of
all our elders regardless of their political affiliations, colour or
creed. We are comfortable in our belief that God raises men and women,
from time to time, to fulfil certain generational mandates. Our elders
have done their part. Today, God has raised a group of young and
God-fearing leaders to take Zimbabwe to the Canaan of economic freedom,
with the sole mandate of building a great nation of Zimbabwe.
Prosperity and Posterity is at the top of our agenda, and Zimbabweans can
only be free when there is no more fear of our government, when every
Zimbabwean has access to the national resources of the country regardless
of their political, religious, tribal, sectorial or racial group and when
foreign economic colonialists and opportunists are out of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe will only engage foreign participation in our economy from a
position of strength, guided by 500-year development plans in all sectors.
Zipp was only officially launched on the 16th of December 2016 but with
the grace of God and the tireless efforts of our partners, we now have
Provincial and District structures in the ten provinces of Zimbabwe and we
are almost done with ward structures.
Today’s politics must of necessity utilise both traditional and new
methods of engagement. This is why social media and other technology-based
methods will be very prominent in the Z.I.P.P campaigns to reach as many
Zimbabweans as possible before the 2018 elections. Many partners are
already sharing the vision of Z.I.P.P to our parents, brothers and sisters
in all the major urban and rural centres within Zimbabwe. Our message is
irresistible to Zimbabweans because it is practical, solution-based and
addresses their previously dashed dreams and aspirations. Our partnership
is growing almost uncontrollably in Zimbabwe.
In our efforts, we will not forget our technically disenfranchised
citizens in the diaspora. Southern Africa has about four million
Zimbabweans spread around South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana,
Mozambique and Zambia. There are also more than a million Zimbabweans
spread around the world, in Europe, UK and the USA, just to mention a few.
While we are thankful of the hospitality of our Sadc partners, we believe
that it is every Zimbabwean’s constitutional right to cast their ballot in
2018. Z.I.P.P will, therefore, continue to have a presence in the
above-mentioned countries to encourage our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters
to come back home and vote in 2018 and to plan their relocation to
Zimbabwe post 2018 elections.
Z.I.P.P has a vision of Prosperity and Posterity for Zimbabwe. This we
will be able to achieve through very long-term planning, entrepreneurship,
innovation and acknowledging God as the ultimate blesser of nations. We
promise to build a conducive investment environment for Zimbabweans first
and foreign direct investors later. Only when Zimbabweans can bring back
their hard-earned wealth into Zimbabwe and invest will the nation prosper.
Our main campaign will be “BRING BACK THE CAPITAL” aimed at all
Zimbabweans regardless of race, tribe, political affiliation or creed.
Foreign direct investment will only be allowed in Zimbabwe on our own
terms as a nation and should be in line with the nation’s long-term plans
in all sectors.
The rule of law, zero tolerance to corruption and tight fiscal controls
underpinned by a culture of accountability will be our focus. Zimbabwe
must be the preferred investment destination for every Zimbabwean. A
Z.I.P.P-led government will encourage investment partnerships and a
culture of entrepreneurship. We will create the right environment for
youths to develop their ideas into commercial enterprises. We will make
deliberate efforts to encourage entrepreneurship all the way from the
curricula to the graduates currently in the streets. Z.I.P.P in power aims
to implement a policy of worker equity in all corporations operating in
Zimbabwe. This is in line with our entrepreneurship and accountability
model.
The direct benefit is every Zimbabwean becomes a shareholder of the means
of production and national resources of Zimbabwe. Worker shareholding will
reduce the myriad of labour disputes between organised labour and
employers. Although a national currency is our priority, a Z.I.P.P-led
government will not rush to expose Zimbabweans to the speculative powers
of world economic manipulators.
Z.I.P.P will do away with the current bond notes and will strive to build
the conditions for establishing a local currency in the shortest possible
time. All natural resources like minerals, land, wildlife, water and
energy just to name a few will only be commercialised in line with
approved long-term national plans that take into account the needs of our
great grandchildren 200-500 years into the future.
All such exploitation of Zimbabwe’s natural resources will be under strict
beneficiation rules within the borders of Zimbabwe.
From what is on the ground, I tend to say “the ZimAsset is an aptly named
document but that is where its brilliance starts and ends.” As a source
document for the problems that beset Zimbabwe, it is a good document but
it unfortunately lacks the national outlook that a national strategic
document should have.
It is unfortunately a party document that focuses on the survival of the
ruling party rather than the sustainable socio-economic transformation.
Sustainable transformation has some key ingredients that are clearly
lacking in the current dispensation. First, Zimbabwe needs a long-term
strategy and plan that has the country and the people at heart without all
the partisan undertones in the ZimAsset document. Our leaders have focused
on their personal and Zanu PF survival in all that they do. The second
problem of the document is that it assumes accountability in leadership.
The current leadership has lacked accountability in all their actions.
ZimAsset is a problem statement and not a strategic document. The key
stakeholders for any public service transformation are the citizens,
businesses, visitors, government employees and other government
departments.
There should have been clear definition of the benefits that the
initiative aimed to achieve in relationship to citizens, businesses,
visitors, civil servants and other government departments. The document,
however, is a list of project initiatives that has no link to national
goals or benefits to stakeholders. Our elders took to the bush in 1964 and
in 1980 they gave us a politically free Zimbabwe. That result we
acknowledge and we are thankful because we are heirs and benefactors of
the sacrifice of our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters.
Since 1980, our elders have come up with some well-meaning strategies and
policies but they have all failed dismally to maintain the status of
Zimbabwe as “the bread basket of Africa”.
Our elders were and are not equipped to deal with the modern demands of
economic prosperity but we, the children, are more than capable. We are
ready to take the baton stick from them. In all the cases the failure has
been due to poor implementation. Our elders failed to separate the
interests of the state from the interests of Zanu PF. With all due
respect, most of the current leadership struggle to see the difference
between the business of Zanu PF and government. Therefore issues of
governance and accountability will always bring down any well-meaning plan
from Zanu PF and its government. The approach has not been approached from
a disruptive, thinking mind-set.
Using the knowledge base has the advantage that little capital is required
to get started and rebuilding can start almost immediately.
Agriculture and mining are good as a foundation, but they are too
dependent on the external world, depressed prices and climate change
challenges, etc. If we didn’t have agriculture and mineral resources, how
would we rebuild Zimbabwe?
The strategy is also not clear about how FDI will be attracted. Can we
take some cues from what Singapore did? What Rwanda and more recently
Tanzania are doing? We don’t have time for the long protracted process of
joining Brics (although that will be useful in the long run).
A ZIPP-led government will adopt a services programme model in
streamlining and optimising public service in Zimbabwe.
At the core of the new government structure will be e-Government
implementation.
Zimbabwe can operate efficiently with only 15 ministries.
Z.I.P.P’s vision is the same revolutionary vision of Mbuya Nehanda or the
Iconic Herbert Chitepo. Dare I say, they are also the same vision and
ideas that our current national leaders had when they took up arms to
fight Smith’s Rhodesian government. We aim to restore our political and
economic pride as a nation. We want a Zimbabwe for all Zimbabweans
regardless of colour or creed. We have God at the apex of all that we do.
These are all fundamentally Zimbabwean ideas and they are at the core of
what most Zimbabweans dream of. We are therefore a direct result of the
dreams and aspirations of all Zimbabweans throughout the generations from
the first Chimurenga until today.
There is nothing wrong with our elders in MDC-T, or any other political
party for that matter. They were all necessary to bring Zimbabwe to this
point in time.
Unfortunately, their role has reached an end and a new breed has been
chosen by God to take Zimbabwe to the next stage of economic growth with
prosperity and posterity as the core goals of ZIPP
We respect the contributions of all the elders and young people the
current opposition. unfortunately, we do not share the same values of
their organisations and we invite them as individuals to come partner us
so that we can fully utilise the abundant human capital at our disposal as
the current generation.
Dr Mai Mujuru is a valiant daughter of the Zimbabwe liberation struggle.
It must be her wish to see the same revolutionary goals they had during
the war realised in her lifetime.
Unfortunately, our dear leader’s contribution as an active leader is over
but Zipp will welcome her advice as an elder and war veteran in our
government in 2018.We will welcome all our elders to advise us youngsters
as we steer Zimbabwe to prosperity and posterity in the post 2018 era. We
will need all Zimbabweans.
Zipp is a national party with a national mandate. We aim to address and
re-dress all the constitutional errors in Zimbabwe and we need more than
two-thirds majority to do that.
We will field our candidates in all constituencies and we will win more
than two-thirds majority. Our model of leadership encourages all
Zimbabweans, especially youths, to be leaders.
Everyone in Zimbabwe has links or would like to have with Zanu PF or Zapu
because they are our main liberation parties. As mentioned earlier, *Zipp
will not divorce themselves from the revolutionary agenda that our elders
fought for until political independence in 1980.* Jeremiah 23 speaks of a
righteous branch.
A branch has to come from a tree and that tree is the revolutionary blood
that was spilled during the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe.
Yes Zanu PF is part of our heritage because they are our fathers,
brothers, mothers and sisters, but we are not Zanu PF. It is time that our
elders take a rest and give the business of government to the capable
hands of a new generation of leaders. *We are praying that His Excellence
President Robert Mugabe lives to see what Zimbabwe can be within just five
years of Zipp leadership. Victory is certain and we are ready to lead
Zimbabwe under Zipp.
Zipp is a partnership of Zimbabweans and to date Zimbabwean partners in
the diaspora have been assisting in funding the campaign because of their
love for everything Zimbabwean.
The diaspora population has been the lifeline of the Zimbabwean economy
for a while now as they send their hard earned money to their parents and
families.
The same sweat and blood is being used to fund this final push for a
Zimbabwe that we are all proud of.
Our vision and mandate have been very clear from the beginning. We look
beyond defeating Zanu PF in 2018.We are not seeking change of leadership
for the sake of change. We are confident of our value proposition to
fellow Zimbabweans.
We shall not allow organisations to pollute our vision through coalition.
We are for a multi-party democracy and promotion of divergent ideas within
the political landscape in Zimbabwe while coalition defeats that purpose.
Coalitions defeat our aim of a lean government and ushers in patronage as
parties try to accommodate different leaders into government, thereby
putting pressure on the tax payer. With all due respect, Zipp does not aim
to recycle leaders who have been in “opposition” or Zanu PF for the past
20 years or more. We believe Zimbabwe has produced enough young leaders
who have already proven themselves in various leadership roles within and
outside Zimbabwe. We seek that new generation of leaders to take Zimbabwe
into the new dispensation. Zipp is open to a partnership of all
Zimbabweans, as individuals, regardless of past political affiliations as
long as they embrace our vision and mandate.
It is a political party for all Zimbabweans regardless of tribal,
religious or racial group.
Z.I.P.P is ready for the 2018 poll. We are not asking Zimbabweans to take
to the streets to insult any of our current leaders, be it in Zanu PF
leadership or opposition leadership. That is not ZIPP. The culture of
Ubuntu has left Zimbabwe a long time ago and we aim to restore love and
respect back into the family unit that we all grew up in the 1980s.
We are calling on all those that are interested in prosperity and
posterity to come in their numbers to register to vote and then to go
ahead and vote Zipp in 2018.
We know it is a big task because Zimbabweans have lost faith in the
electoral system of Zimbabwe but we need you for us to implement our
vision. Victory is certain because we trust that God has already heard the
cry of Zimbabweans within and outside Zimbabwe.”
COMMENTS