A projection on a trajectory Jetson pathway: From here where to Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe future demands best of everything at its best and not worst of everything at its worst unfolding in packages least expected. I use two words advisedly: Trajectory and Jetson. Jetson because it is obsequious or tend to have uncertainties based on past that led us to an unexpected end in it. It is a trajectory pathway because it is like an experiment of a sky ball aimed at landing on the moon. Its pathway can be hard to trace and let alone to follow.

Considering where Zanu had taken the country into, abysmal chasm, its socio-political economic take off might as well be referred to as trajectory more than the usual protectionary direction on budgetary planning. The driver being none other than President Emmerson Mnangagwa, lawyer by training but a politician by stature and grooming who may or may not be so ambiguous but straight forward even to tell you a lie, like other before him, in your face without shrinking. He needs control through a strong checks and balancing system. I note this sentiment again, through a system not individuals who may change their stance after enticement.

Africa has given rhetorical support to effective checks and balance and the problem has been the type and personalities of presidential leadership, none of which has offered to retire after their terms of office except in few exceptions that we can count on our figures. Tanzania has the system working ok. Botswana has the system working ok. Malawi struggles but is steading on. Zambia has each time had drama but overcome the political drama by keeping a level head and soldiers staying away from being keepers of intra-political conflicts but remotely controlling to yield peace. West Africa has had numerous ups and downs politically but are no doubt coming up steadily too. The Arab states are no exception but have attracted greater political drama partly due to the length of time their leaders lasted in power before being deposed than elected.

The November 2017 military coup in Zimbabwe no doubt was carefully master minded from the tables of Zanu political party factions and more so by those who felt where more deserving to talk on and for Zimbabwe than all others, namely, the 'war veterans' as they are called. If a realization that a country cannot grow on inequalities has visited our brothers and sisters 'War Veterans' now then it is major victory towards unifying the country on an ideology of stability and peace therefore prosperity.

There can never be a question as to the eminence and role played by those who held arms during and in the struggle, much as it can never be belittled regarding the role of those who fed, run to and from armed struggle bases with info on whereabouts of Rhodesian soldiers etc. To realize that no war would have been won had masses silent and speaking audibly or inaudibly, without people now being disregarded the masses' participation is very essential as a takeoff lesson for reconstructing the sense of our hard won struggle from all involved in one form or other. A country is built from her people and their totality than from sectors. That is why Veterans are eligible for a bonus unlike civilians who fought this war from their bases homes etc.

Zanu led by Mr. Mugabe spend a lot of time savaging each other one form or other unfairly leading to too many questions on why it was ever done the way it was done by Mugabe. Was it either for power or for its own sake or were some people appendages of the colonial powers even though they spoke radicalism? The struggle once we shifted from outside into inside the country independent became the struggle for corruption to hold on to power through any means. Those who took over power in November 2018 understand this very well, hence they painted an impression they were against Mr. Mugabe cohorts who threatened displacing them (criminal elements who surrounded the president).

What was at war was that Grace Mugabe became the unspoken voice of the none liberation struggle generation who found themselves being pushed out and out by those who claimed to have been in the struggle. Zanu structured its sloganeering very odd in fact very suicidal. Zanu failed to be honesty with each other arising from the blackmail and corruption in order to be good books with Mr. Mugabe who then rose to a level of a small ‘god' in the country including in Zanu. Zanu however way it would have gone would have faced rapture by virtue of her policies that were oblivious to realities of succession, leadership by term of office and not by traditional style on chiefdomship.

The only answer to democracy in Zimbabwe would emerge subject to serious contested seats in Parliament and Senate by all who call themselves opposition with strong views to sell their political views different from Zanu to the Public of Zimbabwe. Unfortunately children have not seen anything different from Zanu for the last forty years of their birth and need quite some convincing to see their way through. They liked the rhetoric's of Mr. Mugabe they can also like the smartness of Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa. Concrete blocks of real comparative studies on Zanu then and Zanu now needs be constituted so these G40s of our nation do not hunger for power for its sake like many who were in Zanu did and stood for.

Even as the nation failed the G40s could not see the difference between 1980s and 2000s in terms of economic policies or structural changes in governance and delivery. One is not intent on blaming them but their teachers Zanu-Pf. The country also need a marked difference between Zanu Pf and opposition either by articulation of the obvious differences or written actions needed to change narrations within the existing confusion alleged to as change through Zanu.

Already the story of election rigging is an open book for as long as all involved sign and attest to the fact that the ballot paper is changed and kept by an impartial electorate directorate supervised too by world bodies and tested in each case for each election province results that it is not a fake election paper used. If opposition show steadiness of purpose and character and not resort to Zanu styles of greedy and state their case maturely, they could very much win this election in July 2018. Zanu is not prepared to loose but if they disinvest from their criminal intent and ways of holding fake elections then the people of Zimbabwe will for the first time taste true power for change through the ballot box. But opposition politicians need be true to the spirit and not be purchased like goods in exchange of farms or cars or vehicles and the latest being through money since it cannot be traced.

Zanu party has experience in keeping millions of moneys in their homes as ministers and buying political eliminators from mercenary nation who survive from that calling. They do neither lack in resources, nor the knowledge of people and nations specialized in those dirty games. Thirty seven years is quite an experience never to be disregarded. We watched during the GNU government their ability in converting new people into struggling for new vehicles than for representing the povo who had trusted them into those positions.

We need a strong national sense of oneness other than partisan false doctrine. Zimbabweans need to understand this. Contrary to what Zanu previously spend the country resources doing in the last thirty-five years, namely, digging away freedom to speak openly and honestly, investing in silencing and at worst harassing political opposition even though nominally they existed. Law had deliberate bottlenecks against opposition politics as though the country was at war when actually Zanu was at war internally culminating in the highest contradiction that saw Mugabe weeded out remorsefully. It could not have been done any better if one were within Zanu. If the military were impartial it would have been a different ball game may perhaps with them wanting to taste power too. Somehow a trend of rewarding them has been signalled in this short lived government of president Mnangagwa.

Zimbabwe needs a national brainstorming so strong on the cause for the November 2017. It is debatable if it was in the national interest at all. An issues has to be debated very carefully without meaning to denigrate the liberation struggle because the struggle is inanimate but the people of Zimbabwe are the ones whose decision making capacity on political processes in the country have been underdeveloped by the 37 painful years of Zanu rule. They are painful if considered in the context of what took place and how violent Zanu made sure people become passive tools than reasoning grownups.

The trajectory on Zimbabwe way forward from 2018 needs new definitions on political processes, freedom, social justice and governance checks and balances. Underestimating how Zanu individuals adulterated the democratic processes is the first false re-start we can write against possible gains to Zanu in the November 2017. It appeared too fast and easy when not considering the battle within Zanu already and machinations taking place with the old man blindfolded to realities of dynamics in shifting paradigms in power. People should be free and carefully be able to choose correctly from the cocktail of political parties that will present themselves as capable to deliver change.