'People of Zimbabwe celebrated Independence day with heads bowed'

"If yesterday I fought as an enemy, today you have become a friend and ally with the same national interest, loyalty, rights and duties as myself," bemeamed eloquently the charismatic Prime Minister Mugabe in 1980. I am quite convinced that everyone stood in awe as the Prime Minister appealed to the lord for divine guidance.

"Our party must continue to strike fear in the heart of the white man, our real enemy!" thundered President Mugabe at the height of political tension in 2002.The relations between the ruling Zanu pf and the white community had become evidently and irredeemably acrimonious.The formmidable opposition  party had unsettled the Emperor and ZANUPF political fotunes were on a slippery slope.To unearth exactly  what went wrong requires a vigorous retrospective analysis.I have often heard people saying if you want to see the behaviour of anyone give him or  her Power.Such is true.  

The people of Zimbabwe celebrated Independence day with heads bowed. Instead of celebrating one is bound to mourn the death of the once envied jewel of Africa, the former bread basket of the region which is now a shadow of its former  self, owing to high sounding nothing "podium," populist policies.

Whilst the new born Zimbabwe was engulfed by the post Independence euphoria and much to the chagrin of all and sundry Prime Minister Robert Mugabe extended a hand to his former nemesis. In a stroke of a genius he disarmed the white community and not surprisingly the international community gave him the benefit of doubt as he adminstered the state of affairs in the new Zimbabwe. It is against this background that the international community adopted the hear no evil,see no evil, speak no evil approach when the Revolution started devouring its own children in the name of Gukurahundi. It was typical conscipiracy of silence.

The Rhodesian army was conglomerated with Zanla and  Zipra forces as part of  Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration policy. Kenny Flower the former boss of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation was invited by Mugabe to his Office and according to Martin Meredith the former CIO boss was bewildered by the sense of camaraderie of the Prime Minister. As per the dictates of the  Lancaster Constitution the white minority party retained 20  seats in parliament.It was a soft landing strategy akin to softening the blow.

Zimbabwe had the best Cabinet in Africa with the likes of well read Bernard Chidzero and the legal luminary Eddison Zvobgo. As the masses waited for the promised milk and hun, all the promises vanished like dew.The promises turned into a melodramatic nighmare as leaders morphed into dealers if the Willowgate scandal is to go by. By pardoning those implicated in  the Willowgate Scandal through Presidential Amnesty, the President set a very dangerous precedent.It is because  of this precedent that we are in this mess where corruption has been institutionalised. Its now like weather changes that people can complain of and proceed with life, business as usual.The is a deficit of political will to deal with corruption and as  a result it has become the number one problem confronting the post-Colonial African States.

The is absolutely no single reason for Zimbabweans to celebrate politics of Oligarchy and plutocracy. Its foolhardy for Zimbabweans to celebrate Independence that did not usher in an egalitarian society if the Salarygate is to go by. We now have unrepentent and profligate Cows of Bashan in Zimbabwe hell bent on entrenching their octopus grip on power when the masses  are in a Lazarus predicament. Honestly the gallant sons and daughters who fought the armed struggle must be turning in their graves.  We are now confronted with an Orwellian nightmare where some animals are now more equal than others.

The people if Zimbabwe never fought for one centre of power.The people of Zimbabwe never fought for cader deployment, cronyism, patronage system and nepotisim.These  are now the hallmarks of ZANU PF led government.

We are now a nation that has lost its moral compass.Our values of Unhu and Ubuntu have been eroded by the lust of power.Moral decadance has gripped our leaders.How can a Zimbabwean with conscience celebrate Independence day when the rights we assidiously fought for are now being trampled upon in broad daylight with impunity. When abductions are now part and parcel of the job description of our beloved leaders if the Itai Dzamara and Jestina Mukoko ordeals are to go by. We have lost our dignity,decency and integrity. We have a leadership that can only be awaken from the slumber by violent means and the eventuality of a demographic time bomb is inevitable.

How  can one celebrate the ramshackle political-administrative apparatus  of the State and worse still incestous relations between ruling Zanu pf and State institutions. When the judiciary and the Army have been emasucalted and reduced to ZANU PF appendages.When national elections are done in a cosmetic and window-dressing way just to give a veneer of democracy if the 27 June ordeal is to go by.

Our leaders have been applauded for maintaining peace which in fact happen to be "peace of the graveyard," unsustainable negative  peace which only imply absence of  violence or conflict.Positive peace is filled with positive content such as restoration of relationships, the creation of social systems that serve the needs of the whole population and the constructive resolution of conflict.

I love Africa, i love Zimbabwe, i am a patriot par  excellence and as such i will not be economical with the truth so as be seen as super Zimbabweam or super African. As elusive as it is the truth shall set us free. Its high time Mugabe is told that thousands died to destroy what he is reestablishing, repression and oppression.Its high time the youths gird their loins and dismantle the predatory regime.Such is a generational mandate!