News / National
Zapu celebrates 62 years
17 Dec 2023 at 11:50hrs | Views
Zapu is today celebrating 62 years after its formation with the party spokesperson Mso Ndlovu saying they celebrate this milestone, as they continue on their journey to achieve the full emancipation of our people.
"It is important as members to take stock of our journey and acknowledge the challenges we have faced along the way. It is equally important for us to acknowledge the mistakes and missed opportunities we have made throughout our journey. This is important so that we don't repeat the same mistakes and or improve on our awareness and anticipation," Ndlovu said.
"Zapu set out to achieve not only the political independence of our people at its inception, our forebears were determined to eventually lead a developmental state anchored on our natural and human resources. As early as the 1960s, Zapu assembled teams of competent Zimbabweans from across the length and breadth of the country in preparation to serve the country at independence. These teams were deployed based on strict meritocracy regardless of race or ethnicity."
Ndlovu said this consideration helped them execute an efficient war effort that earned the praise of the settler regime of Rhodesia.
"While ZPRA led from the front, the politicians took charge of the political administration of the party. A crop of uncompromising revolutionaries like Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, GT Silundika, Rex Nhongo, Dumiso Dabengwa, Ambrose Mutinhiri, Stanislaus Marembo, George Kahari, Ariston Chambati, Lookout Masuku etc, emerged from the political ecosystem primed to produce capable leaders then and for the future," he said.
"The liberation phase was not an easy project. It was compromised several times by the settler regime which connived with internal and external forces to destabilize our movement. They almost succeeded through the formation of rival ZANU in 1963 through then Commonwealth Secretary Sir Arthur Bottomley. They made another attempt when they planted hostilities between the Patriotic Front armies which destroyed ZIPA. But against all odds, our forebears persevered and birthed Zimbabwe in 1980."
He said where independence came with a promise of peace and tranquillity, it delivered fire and brimstone for our party and its supporters.
"A campaign for the total annihilation of our party and its members was soon launched in an operation now known as Gukurahundi. Over 20,000 of our members and leaders were murdered by the Zanu PF government. Since then, Zanu PF has used ethnicity as a medium of transacting our politics. This has created mistrust, suspicion and outright tribalism between our people," he said.
"When we set on reviving ZAPU in 2008, it was clear that we were faced with a mammoth task to convince every Zimbabwean that we mean well. Our immediate task was to present the party to the people and force political acceptance by the government through their captured institutions like ZEC. The early stages of the revival signified a political marinating of our revival process as the presence of the charging bull on ballot papers was a significant symbol of resistance against a ZANU PF government which thought that they had completely destroyed us."
Ndlovu said the next phase of their revival required political consolidation through the establishment of political structures and building a coherent identity based on strategic alignment and messaging.
"We failed dismally on both, as our revered former President, Dumiso Dabengwa failed the populist test and ran the party as a closed group or secret society. At the last congress, it was important to usher in a leadership whose principal mandate was to win back the party from a few individuals and take it back to the people in the villages and townships. And, boy, we struck gold," said Ndlovu.
"The election of President Sibangilizwe Nkomo was the perfect tonic which the doctor had ordered. The man is a living template of a workaholic. He has literally camped in the countryside mixing and mingling with ordinary people. This phase has yielded us one council seat we won during the 23 August 2023 national elections."
HE said while this administration must be commended for this historic feat, it has fared badly on numerous leadership scorecards.
"While the President has shown the zeal and commitment to meet the people, he has unfortunately left everyone gasping at the political value of these meetings. This, because the President has failed to create political memories everywhere he goes. Apart from excellent renditions of our party slogans and the impersonation of the raging bull, our leader has failed to deliver a sustainable, coherent and strategic message which could separate us from the political crowd," Ndlovu said.
"As a collective, we have failed to build an organization worth investing in as evidenced by a poor balance sheet. We have failed to take advantage of the turmoil in our rivals' camps. We have failed to build structures across the country. We have failed in providing thought leadership as a tool to compete in the political marketplace."
"As we celebrate our 62nd birthday, each one of us has a duty to interrogate their contribution in these failures. If we all love the party, we should be honest enough to accept culpability and step aside, give others a chance to take the struggle forward. Desperately needed are fresh ideas on how to capacitate the party through resources. ZAPU should, and must have land to build her own offices."
Ndlovu said Zapu should, and must recover her properties and must run production enterprises to sustain herself.
"Zapu should, and must be attractive to the young leaders by becoming a modernized and dynamic political organization. Zapu should, and must, reconnect with strategic organizations throughout the world for the purpose of building strategic synergies," he said.
"Failure to recalibrate and refocus is a sure recipe to disintegration and oblivion. Most liberation movements are facing this real threat. We should reform or perish. There are those among us who will find this message offensive. Those who have known me are aware that I would never apologize for speaking the truth. There are those already considering ways through which to silence me, they're warned that the truth is mightier than the sword and that I'm so determined to be part of a process that will build on the success of this incumbent administration which should either reform or be reformed."
"It is important as members to take stock of our journey and acknowledge the challenges we have faced along the way. It is equally important for us to acknowledge the mistakes and missed opportunities we have made throughout our journey. This is important so that we don't repeat the same mistakes and or improve on our awareness and anticipation," Ndlovu said.
"Zapu set out to achieve not only the political independence of our people at its inception, our forebears were determined to eventually lead a developmental state anchored on our natural and human resources. As early as the 1960s, Zapu assembled teams of competent Zimbabweans from across the length and breadth of the country in preparation to serve the country at independence. These teams were deployed based on strict meritocracy regardless of race or ethnicity."
Ndlovu said this consideration helped them execute an efficient war effort that earned the praise of the settler regime of Rhodesia.
"While ZPRA led from the front, the politicians took charge of the political administration of the party. A crop of uncompromising revolutionaries like Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, GT Silundika, Rex Nhongo, Dumiso Dabengwa, Ambrose Mutinhiri, Stanislaus Marembo, George Kahari, Ariston Chambati, Lookout Masuku etc, emerged from the political ecosystem primed to produce capable leaders then and for the future," he said.
"The liberation phase was not an easy project. It was compromised several times by the settler regime which connived with internal and external forces to destabilize our movement. They almost succeeded through the formation of rival ZANU in 1963 through then Commonwealth Secretary Sir Arthur Bottomley. They made another attempt when they planted hostilities between the Patriotic Front armies which destroyed ZIPA. But against all odds, our forebears persevered and birthed Zimbabwe in 1980."
He said where independence came with a promise of peace and tranquillity, it delivered fire and brimstone for our party and its supporters.
"A campaign for the total annihilation of our party and its members was soon launched in an operation now known as Gukurahundi. Over 20,000 of our members and leaders were murdered by the Zanu PF government. Since then, Zanu PF has used ethnicity as a medium of transacting our politics. This has created mistrust, suspicion and outright tribalism between our people," he said.
"When we set on reviving ZAPU in 2008, it was clear that we were faced with a mammoth task to convince every Zimbabwean that we mean well. Our immediate task was to present the party to the people and force political acceptance by the government through their captured institutions like ZEC. The early stages of the revival signified a political marinating of our revival process as the presence of the charging bull on ballot papers was a significant symbol of resistance against a ZANU PF government which thought that they had completely destroyed us."
Ndlovu said the next phase of their revival required political consolidation through the establishment of political structures and building a coherent identity based on strategic alignment and messaging.
"We failed dismally on both, as our revered former President, Dumiso Dabengwa failed the populist test and ran the party as a closed group or secret society. At the last congress, it was important to usher in a leadership whose principal mandate was to win back the party from a few individuals and take it back to the people in the villages and townships. And, boy, we struck gold," said Ndlovu.
"The election of President Sibangilizwe Nkomo was the perfect tonic which the doctor had ordered. The man is a living template of a workaholic. He has literally camped in the countryside mixing and mingling with ordinary people. This phase has yielded us one council seat we won during the 23 August 2023 national elections."
HE said while this administration must be commended for this historic feat, it has fared badly on numerous leadership scorecards.
"While the President has shown the zeal and commitment to meet the people, he has unfortunately left everyone gasping at the political value of these meetings. This, because the President has failed to create political memories everywhere he goes. Apart from excellent renditions of our party slogans and the impersonation of the raging bull, our leader has failed to deliver a sustainable, coherent and strategic message which could separate us from the political crowd," Ndlovu said.
"As a collective, we have failed to build an organization worth investing in as evidenced by a poor balance sheet. We have failed to take advantage of the turmoil in our rivals' camps. We have failed to build structures across the country. We have failed in providing thought leadership as a tool to compete in the political marketplace."
"As we celebrate our 62nd birthday, each one of us has a duty to interrogate their contribution in these failures. If we all love the party, we should be honest enough to accept culpability and step aside, give others a chance to take the struggle forward. Desperately needed are fresh ideas on how to capacitate the party through resources. ZAPU should, and must have land to build her own offices."
Ndlovu said Zapu should, and must recover her properties and must run production enterprises to sustain herself.
"Zapu should, and must be attractive to the young leaders by becoming a modernized and dynamic political organization. Zapu should, and must, reconnect with strategic organizations throughout the world for the purpose of building strategic synergies," he said.
"Failure to recalibrate and refocus is a sure recipe to disintegration and oblivion. Most liberation movements are facing this real threat. We should reform or perish. There are those among us who will find this message offensive. Those who have known me are aware that I would never apologize for speaking the truth. There are those already considering ways through which to silence me, they're warned that the truth is mightier than the sword and that I'm so determined to be part of a process that will build on the success of this incumbent administration which should either reform or be reformed."
Source - Byo24News
