Statement on the intervention of ZDF and the current situation in Zimbabwe - ANSA

The Alliance for National Salvation (ANSA) takes note of the action taken by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) and the consequent removal of Robert Gabriel Mugabe from the Presidency of ZANU PF and eventually from the leadership of Zimbabwe. It has been a nasty 37 years, enjoyed only by those who fell within the patronage radar. We sincerely applaud the courageous stance taken by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, and we are aware it was not an easy decision; but for the sake of our children, the youth and the generality of the population something had to be done. The country had reached a state where it was on free fall, where people were extremely desperate - elderly people in their 70s in queues were just but one testimony. It was saddening, maybe also very embarrassing.
 
The most important thing now for all Zimbabweans is to craft a way forward. We should craft a mission that will take the country out of this sad state engineered by Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his colleagues. As ANSA we believe the following issues need to be addressed so that our country enjoys peace, harmony and general well-being of citizens:
 - Equality of all persons before God and before the law
 - Freedom from oppression, poverty, ignorance, disease, and hunger  
 - Equity in distribution of national resources and opportunities for locals in the beneficiation and management of their natural resources
 - Justice for all past crimes and genocides especially Gukurahundi
 - Elimination of all forms of tribalism, racism  
 - Elimination of the concept of minority and its appended consequences
 - Restoration of the rule of law and property rights
 - Development of the economic base of the country and conscious management of the high unemployment figures
 - Elimination of corruption in the public and private sector

The country had reached alarming levels of regional and tribal polarization, and we believe there is need to quickly fix this so as to ensure stability. There is no clan or tribe that is superior to another and the new order has to emphasize this, in word and in action.  An administration that emphasizes equity and equality in opportunities that do arise in the nation ensures lasting peace.

There is need to consider transitional governing arrangement in the form of a National Transitional Authority. This type of arrangement will allow temperatures to cool down, and the creation of conducive electoral environment. We hope this is but just the beginning of the end of our country's ills. As we clear the mess created by the Robert Mugabe administration let us be wary not to fall into the sewage pipeline. Obviously it is the expectation of the person in the urban and rural areas down-trodden for 37 years that this is the dawn of a new era, let us not disappoint. It is obvious that the ZDF was a major catalyst in the events that culminated into the socio-political situation we find ourselves in, and as all good catalyst do, they are consumed by the reaction and their individual identity becomes non-existent. So our expectation is that the Generals will assist in facilitation of key processes and let the civilian leadership quickly takeover the administration of the country in the form of a National Transitional Authority for a specified period.  The NTA cannot be partisan, and cannot be hand-picked by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces; but we should allow an all- inclusive process.
 
The country needs to address the state of the economy, communications infrastructure, health facilities, access to education especially for the rural child, freedom of speech and association, and national reconciliation, amongst others. As stated earlier on we expect justice for all crimes committed, and to avoid unnecessary conflict of interest this justice cannot be brought about by participants in the commission of gross human rights violations. Zimbabwe is a great country, but like a well baked cake in unsteady hands is quickly soiled; in custody of greedy, ravenous minds the majority is forced to settle for a wafer thin slice.

It is our hope as ANSA and the nation at large that this ZDF intervention is correcting the ills of 37 years. There is a generation or two in this country that has never known economic peace. There is a sizable number of parents that have taken this country to be just a birth place, but children have to grow, learn and work in foreign lands. It becomes a sign of extreme desperation when citizens become pre-occupied with hunting for visas or permanent residence permits to settle in foreign lands. We hope this is coming to an end. It cannot be the work or task of the ZDF alone – we are happy though that they have started to clean where the ordinary person could not openly go to clean. We also believe that as the cleaning process continues the Mugabe philosophy or doctrine is eliminated permanently. It is one thing removing an individual, but a completely different task to up-root a rotten system.

All citizens let us participate and recreate the jewel that Zimbabwe was! It is a jewel that finds itself in rubbish bins and pits. It is a jewel that was beginning to doubt its natural properties. It is a jewel that was now calling itself or behaving like dirt due to the factor of association. It is our constitutional duty to ensure that this never happens again!


Moses Mzila Ndlovu
PRESIDENT
Alliance for National Salvation (ANSA)