Opinion / Columnist
Youth of Zimbabwe Arise and fight for your lost future
10 Dec 2014 at 15:24hrs | Views
Do you remember the day when we all rejoiced, the day when we all thought we were free?
Do you remember that day when Bob Marley performed his song 'Zimbabwe' in front of thousands jubilant people at the National Sports Stadium? Do you remember when the war veterans broke down the fence when they heard Bob Marley perform and when tear gas had to be used to disperse the crowd?
Do you remember the hope we had for a new dawn? And a new Zimbabwe?
Do you remember when the flag was hoisted for the first time and Union Jack came down and everyone was screaming with joy, excitement and disbelief?
Some were weeping with joy; some were mourning the loss of comrades along the way. Josiah Tongogara had died at the last phase of our liberation struggle towards our independence. Our gallant fighters such as Nikita Mangena and JZ Moyo had perished. We do remember, how can we forget?
Our independence had not been long celebrated long, when the genocide was unleashed on innocent civilians. Nothing on earth ever prepared us that 3 years down the line they were going to massacre thousands in the Midlands & Matabeleland, with the assistance of the British, North Koreans and the Americans. We were devastated. Little did we know that they were going to unleash a 'personal political army', as Nkomo noted, on defenceless women and innocent children and unarmed men, who were brutalised, maimed, slaughtered and buried alive in mass graves. Human rights of immense proportions were committed against fellow citizens, food embargoes were enforced, the aim was to pummel people into political submission 'You will eat your cows, when you are finished with them you will eat your goats, dogs and cats, when you are done you will eat each other" said one of the gukurahundi leaders, who now holds a high rank in the army.
Little did we know that corruption was to be the first enemy of our independence with the willow-gate car scandal and a lot more scandals which followed thereafter. A lie which has been peddled in Zimbabwe is that Mugabe is a good leader, but surrounded by corrupt leaders. This is a silly lie which does not deserve to be entertained by any rightful thinking people. Mugabe as a civil servant is not paid that much, but he is said to be owning properties all over the world and he has built a mansion which costs millions of dollars if that is not corruption, then Zimbabweans should stop talking about corruption. How come Mugabe has allowed corruption to fester so much if he is not corrupt himself?
The dawn of independence and its attendant ecstatic euphoric pomp and fanfare blinded us to reality. All the signs were there right from the start that this government was up to no good, but we opted to look aside and pretended the signs were not there. Today we are all destitute because of the government which has destroyed our economy and possibly going to continue destroying it. The Youth's futures have been stolen and subjected to eternity of misery. The laws have been, over the years, concocted against people's liberties. Unjust laws do not deserve to be obeyed. A state against people's liberties deserves to be reshaped and remoulded into a state which respects the people's rights.
Were we not the bread basket of Africa? Now we are all scattered all over the world particularly in our neighbouring countries, seeking bread. How shameful is that?
They sent our soldiers to the Congo to fight an unjust war in exchange of diamonds and many of our sons and daughters died like paupers after fighting that war and showed nothing for their efforts.
In our thousands we rose up in unison against the colonial and racist regime and demanded our freedom, however, little did we know that our revolution was to be betrayed by this evil regime, when they began murdering all our revolutionaries who dared to question their corruption and their brutality. Little did we know that our independence and the rights we fought for were to be abused, the one man one vote principle we fought for was turned upside down as elections were rigged election after election, starting by the 1980 election and the subsequent ones. Elections became a death trap, where 'green bombers' were unleashed on innocent people. The good and vivid example is the election of 2002, where the South African judges judged it as not free and fair.
Election outcomes should be protected and defended against rogue regimes. When rogue regimes think that they can do whatever they want they will continue abusing people. They must be stopped. Impeccable sources reveal that the man behind the rigging of elections is none other than Mnangagwa. God help us all. This man will be the next president of Zimbabwe if not stopped; he is cruel and will rule by sheer brute of force, worse than the current dictator of kwaZwimba. Zimbabweans cannot afford another dictator after 34 years of abuse by Mugabe. A time to rebel against the government is now.
Our country is richly endowed in mineral resources, but these resources currently benefit a few. They looted the diamonds in Marange and murdered hundreds of innocent people in the process of their looting. The people of Marange did not benefit from their God-given resources. This is unacceptable and should never happen in a civilised nation. The people of Marange should be one of the richest people in the country from their God-given diamonds, but they have nothing to show for it except the wounds of humiliation by the ZANU PF government and its private companies mining the gem.
This regime has continued to make us a laughing stock and it continues to willy-nilly violate our human rights. They have openly abducted, beaten and killed anyone who dares question them. Today I write to you in a foreign land and far away from home. I am forced to eat strange food that I am not accustomed to and exposed to the vagaries of cold weather. I work like a slave, at times I have to work two or more jobs just to make ends meet. I am treated like I am not fully human at times, I work hard but I have nothing to show for the hard work. I do not want to be here, I have my own country which does not want me because of the evil regime. Today I stand and say I am part of the young generation which will change our country. A young generation which will look beyond tribalism perpetuated and entrenched by ZANU PF.
Honourable comrades, fellow countrymen and women, today, this day, I ask you, if you are old enough, to remember the dreams and hopes we had for our country? Are we to let those dreams and hopes simply fade away because of the oppressive government of Mr Robert Mugabe? Do we remember the gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for this country? Are you going to do the same? I ask you today to remember, to emulate and to honour the efforts and spirit that moved our people to liberate the country. The young generation, like myself and many others all over the world, I beseech you to be ever-radical and resilient, be brave, and do not sell out your integrity. Zimbabwe is ours. It does not belong to the ZANU PF leadership only. It belongs to the masses, to you and me, our grandfathers, our mothers, our children and all of us. As we liberated the country from the unrelenting clutches of the Smith regime so shall we liberate the country from the clutches of ZANU PF.
Let us not forsake the ideals of Joshua Nkomo, Josiah Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo and Lookout Masuku. A people who do not know their history are easy to deceive. We know our history and we are not easy to deceive.
The sacking of Mujuru and the naming of Mnangagwa as the deputy president spells doom to the future of our country. Mnangagwa is a known hardliner bereft of ideas of reviving the economy; he is the man accused of having presided over the genocide in Matebeleland and Midlands. The Youth of Zimbabwe should now take their lives in their own hands now.
Rambai Makashinga...
Amandlaaaaa!!
Lenin Mafela is a member of the ZAPU Youth Front based in the United Kingdom. He is a vibrant firebrand whose interest is to see all the Youth stand up and reclaim their future from the current oppressive government. zapuinformteam@gmail.com
Do you remember that day when Bob Marley performed his song 'Zimbabwe' in front of thousands jubilant people at the National Sports Stadium? Do you remember when the war veterans broke down the fence when they heard Bob Marley perform and when tear gas had to be used to disperse the crowd?
Do you remember the hope we had for a new dawn? And a new Zimbabwe?
Do you remember when the flag was hoisted for the first time and Union Jack came down and everyone was screaming with joy, excitement and disbelief?
Some were weeping with joy; some were mourning the loss of comrades along the way. Josiah Tongogara had died at the last phase of our liberation struggle towards our independence. Our gallant fighters such as Nikita Mangena and JZ Moyo had perished. We do remember, how can we forget?
Our independence had not been long celebrated long, when the genocide was unleashed on innocent civilians. Nothing on earth ever prepared us that 3 years down the line they were going to massacre thousands in the Midlands & Matabeleland, with the assistance of the British, North Koreans and the Americans. We were devastated. Little did we know that they were going to unleash a 'personal political army', as Nkomo noted, on defenceless women and innocent children and unarmed men, who were brutalised, maimed, slaughtered and buried alive in mass graves. Human rights of immense proportions were committed against fellow citizens, food embargoes were enforced, the aim was to pummel people into political submission 'You will eat your cows, when you are finished with them you will eat your goats, dogs and cats, when you are done you will eat each other" said one of the gukurahundi leaders, who now holds a high rank in the army.
Little did we know that corruption was to be the first enemy of our independence with the willow-gate car scandal and a lot more scandals which followed thereafter. A lie which has been peddled in Zimbabwe is that Mugabe is a good leader, but surrounded by corrupt leaders. This is a silly lie which does not deserve to be entertained by any rightful thinking people. Mugabe as a civil servant is not paid that much, but he is said to be owning properties all over the world and he has built a mansion which costs millions of dollars if that is not corruption, then Zimbabweans should stop talking about corruption. How come Mugabe has allowed corruption to fester so much if he is not corrupt himself?
The dawn of independence and its attendant ecstatic euphoric pomp and fanfare blinded us to reality. All the signs were there right from the start that this government was up to no good, but we opted to look aside and pretended the signs were not there. Today we are all destitute because of the government which has destroyed our economy and possibly going to continue destroying it. The Youth's futures have been stolen and subjected to eternity of misery. The laws have been, over the years, concocted against people's liberties. Unjust laws do not deserve to be obeyed. A state against people's liberties deserves to be reshaped and remoulded into a state which respects the people's rights.
Were we not the bread basket of Africa? Now we are all scattered all over the world particularly in our neighbouring countries, seeking bread. How shameful is that?
They sent our soldiers to the Congo to fight an unjust war in exchange of diamonds and many of our sons and daughters died like paupers after fighting that war and showed nothing for their efforts.
In our thousands we rose up in unison against the colonial and racist regime and demanded our freedom, however, little did we know that our revolution was to be betrayed by this evil regime, when they began murdering all our revolutionaries who dared to question their corruption and their brutality. Little did we know that our independence and the rights we fought for were to be abused, the one man one vote principle we fought for was turned upside down as elections were rigged election after election, starting by the 1980 election and the subsequent ones. Elections became a death trap, where 'green bombers' were unleashed on innocent people. The good and vivid example is the election of 2002, where the South African judges judged it as not free and fair.
Election outcomes should be protected and defended against rogue regimes. When rogue regimes think that they can do whatever they want they will continue abusing people. They must be stopped. Impeccable sources reveal that the man behind the rigging of elections is none other than Mnangagwa. God help us all. This man will be the next president of Zimbabwe if not stopped; he is cruel and will rule by sheer brute of force, worse than the current dictator of kwaZwimba. Zimbabweans cannot afford another dictator after 34 years of abuse by Mugabe. A time to rebel against the government is now.
Our country is richly endowed in mineral resources, but these resources currently benefit a few. They looted the diamonds in Marange and murdered hundreds of innocent people in the process of their looting. The people of Marange did not benefit from their God-given resources. This is unacceptable and should never happen in a civilised nation. The people of Marange should be one of the richest people in the country from their God-given diamonds, but they have nothing to show for it except the wounds of humiliation by the ZANU PF government and its private companies mining the gem.
This regime has continued to make us a laughing stock and it continues to willy-nilly violate our human rights. They have openly abducted, beaten and killed anyone who dares question them. Today I write to you in a foreign land and far away from home. I am forced to eat strange food that I am not accustomed to and exposed to the vagaries of cold weather. I work like a slave, at times I have to work two or more jobs just to make ends meet. I am treated like I am not fully human at times, I work hard but I have nothing to show for the hard work. I do not want to be here, I have my own country which does not want me because of the evil regime. Today I stand and say I am part of the young generation which will change our country. A young generation which will look beyond tribalism perpetuated and entrenched by ZANU PF.
Honourable comrades, fellow countrymen and women, today, this day, I ask you, if you are old enough, to remember the dreams and hopes we had for our country? Are we to let those dreams and hopes simply fade away because of the oppressive government of Mr Robert Mugabe? Do we remember the gallant sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for this country? Are you going to do the same? I ask you today to remember, to emulate and to honour the efforts and spirit that moved our people to liberate the country. The young generation, like myself and many others all over the world, I beseech you to be ever-radical and resilient, be brave, and do not sell out your integrity. Zimbabwe is ours. It does not belong to the ZANU PF leadership only. It belongs to the masses, to you and me, our grandfathers, our mothers, our children and all of us. As we liberated the country from the unrelenting clutches of the Smith regime so shall we liberate the country from the clutches of ZANU PF.
Let us not forsake the ideals of Joshua Nkomo, Josiah Tongogara, Herbert Chitepo and Lookout Masuku. A people who do not know their history are easy to deceive. We know our history and we are not easy to deceive.
The sacking of Mujuru and the naming of Mnangagwa as the deputy president spells doom to the future of our country. Mnangagwa is a known hardliner bereft of ideas of reviving the economy; he is the man accused of having presided over the genocide in Matebeleland and Midlands. The Youth of Zimbabwe should now take their lives in their own hands now.
Rambai Makashinga...
Amandlaaaaa!!
Lenin Mafela is a member of the ZAPU Youth Front based in the United Kingdom. He is a vibrant firebrand whose interest is to see all the Youth stand up and reclaim their future from the current oppressive government. zapuinformteam@gmail.com
Source - Lenin Mafela
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