As Chamisa welcomes the Mugabes: I am shocked and heartbroken

I am going to vote for ZANU-PF. I cannot believe I am even saying this. I shudder a bit when I write those words.

But I am that shocked. I am that heartbroken. Chamisa's MDC's negotiations with the NPF was like an uppercut to the jaw. Seeing Mugabe's nearest and dearest stand by Chamisa during the recent rallies and manifesto launch was a punch in the stomach. And hearing the leader of my former party "welcome" Grace Mugabe into the alliance, a wretched political manoeuvre, was the final knockout.

My love affair with the MDC is over. We must have red lines, and an alliance with the NPF crosses every single one of them.

The beatings me and my friends suffered under Mugabe will leave physical and emotional scars for a long time. But the scars the country wears are a badge of dishonour which will take generations to overcome. Ironically ED has taken this on board, and Chamisa ignores it. ED calls for change and openness. Chamisa expels his opponents. ED talks about peace and unity. Chamisa fires up the violent rhetoric. ED even cancelled a ZANU-PF rally, while allowing an MDC rally on the same day. We are experiencing utter role reversal! And that is why my vote must follow suit.

Last November, we marched together for a new Zimbabwe. We stood proudly; black and white, civilian and military, teacher and student, Ndebele and Shona. We called for change, for hope, for opportunities. We finally had the courage as a downtrodden people to take our fate into our own hands. ED led, but the people followed with their feet and their voices. And now the MDC of all parties wants to take us back. They are prepared to undo everything we have dreamed of for the nastiest of political deals. Everything we have struggled for, fought and bled for. I for one will not allow this.

I will raise my voice high. I will write when I need to write. I will protest when I need to protest. The young supporters of Nelson Chamisa are blind to the dangerous nature of this pact. They have forgotten where we have come from. We have begun a new journey, and however cliché it may sound – it is a journey of hope. The Mugabes, in particular Grace, destroyed this country. They decimated livelihoods, ripped apart our economy and left us a pariah state in the world.

When one candidate openly calls for a political alliance with these dangerous elements, we must punish him at the ballot box. I am shocked and heartbroken. But as Chamisa welcomes the Mugabes; I will be voting Zanu-PF.